Stephen Hawking Tribute Page, by Juan Gomez

Stephen Hawking at NASA's StarChild Learning Center, 1980s
Stephen Hawking at NASA's StarChild Learning Center, 1980s. By NASA [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.

-Der Spiegel (17 October 1988)

Relevant dates

  • Jan 8 19421: Born in Oxford, England, 300 years after the death of Galileo.
  • 1959 - 1962: Specialises in Physics at University College Oxford.
  • 1963: Begins research in cosmology and general relativity in Cambridge University, and is diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
  • 1966: Completes his doctorate and is awarded a fellowship at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He works on singularities in the theory of general relativity and applies his ideas to the study of black holes.
  • 1970: By using quantum theory and general relativity, he proves that black holes can emit radiation.
  • 1973: Joins the department of applied mathematics and theoretical physics at Cambridge. He also discovers that black holes could leak energy and particles into space, and even explode in a fountain of high-energy sparks.
  • 1977: Appointed professor of gravitational physics at Cambridge.
  • 1979: Appointed Lucasian professor of mathematics at Cambridge (a chair held by Sir Isaac Newton in 1663). Elected as a fellow of the Royal Society.
  • 1982: Awarded a CBE by the Queen of the United Kingdom.
  • 1988: Publishes A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes. Recorded in the 1998 Guinness Book of Records as an all-time bestseller.
  • 1989: Made a Companion of Honor.
  • 1993: Publishes Black Holes and Baby Universes, and other Essays.
  • 1998: Publishes Stephen Hawking's Universe: The Cosmos Explained.
  • 2001: Releases Universe in a Nutshell.
  • 2001: Releases On the Shoulders of Giants, The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy. Also publishes The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe.
  • 2004: Announces that he has solved the Black Hole paradox, which has been a troubling scientists for years. He presents his most recent findings at the international conference on general relativity and gravitation in Dublin.
  • 20072: Goes on a weightless flight in the United States as a prelude to a hoped-for sub-orbital spaceflight.
  • 20093: Is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
  • 2013: Publishes My Brief History.
  • 2014: Warns that creating an advanced artificial intelligence could be humanity's last and deadliest achievement.
  • March 14 20184: Dies at the age of 76 in Cambridge, England. Coincidentally, this date is the 139th anniversary of Einstein's birth.

References