Top 10 MIND-BLOWING Things About Stephen Hawking

The universe is dizzyingly immense – something Stephen Hawking knows as much as anyone. With that in mind, Hawking thinks it’s very likely that intelligent alien life exists SOMEWHERE. However, while the cosmologist believes in that possibility, he also thinks humans should be careful about trying to contact them. Why? Because he posits that such life forms would likely try to destroy us – or at least ravage Earth for resources. In 2010, Hawking publicly stated his concern, comparing invading alien civilizations and the effect on humans to Columbus landing in America and the effect on Native Americans. Even so, he’s supported Breakthrough Listen, a research program dedicated to finding alien life – find, but not contact, if Hawking has his way.

While an increasing number of scientists today are developing public personas of their own, none has managed to make an impact quite like Stephen Hawking. For years, he’s been making public appearances and guest starring on popular TV shows like “The Simpsons,” “Futurama,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Star Trek.” These cameos often showcase his staggering intelligence and trademark wry humor, alongside some light, good-natured self-deprecation. As a result, he’s become something of a household name for people of all ages. References to the scientist can also be found in a number of songs, comics, video games, movies and more, proving he really has permeated nearly every facet of pop culture.

Stephen Hawking loves making science bets. Thing is: his track record kinda sucks. For example, he once bet that the existence of the Higgs boson would never be proven. FYI, the Higgs boson was found by CERN in 2012, thanks to the Large Hadron Collider. Before that, Hawking teamed with fellow theoretical physicist Kip Thorne in a bet against John Preskill about the black hole information paradox. Basically, the question was: does the information that falls into black holes get destroyed? Hawking and Thorne said yes, Preskill said no. Though the original bet went public in 1997, it wasn’t until 2004 that Hawking officially conceded; admitting his opinion on the matter had “evolved.” For his win, Preskill went home with a shiny new baseball encyclopedia.

Like many of our greatest thinkers, school was initially not a great time for Stephen Hawking: he was – at best – middle-of-the-pack when it came to his grades. In 2010, Professor Hawking readily admitted that he was a lazy student – from grade school all the way to his time at Oxford – and didn’t really learn how to read until he was 8! Even so, his schoolmates nicknamed him “Einstein,” clearly seeing his potential for greatness. Fortunately, one math teacher inspired him, sparking his interest in both math and science. Once he was diagnosed with ALS, he really began to consider his own mortality, so he focused on his work to make something of himself in the time he had left.

While at Oxford, a young Stephen Hawking was finding himself bored with classes and in need of social interaction. In an effort to try something new, he joined the school’s Boat Club. Before his illness, he was one of the most important members on the crew, the coxswain – which, with his strong voice and slight build, was an ideal role for him. Hawking actually proved to be a bit reckless, steering his crew through narrow spaces and often damaging the boats as a result – one of his crewmates even labeled him “the adventurous type”! His dedication made him very popular with his crew, and soon his social life was booming, with parties and friendly practical joking.

The casting of British actor Eddie Redmayne as Hawking for the 2014 biopic “The Theory of Everything” may’ve surprised some people. After all, the computerized voice we know and love has an accent that’s decidedly NOT British. However, Stephen Hawking was born and raised in England. So where’d the accent go? In 1985, he underwent a life-saving tracheotomy after contracting pneumonia. Unfortunately, the operation robbed him of his ability to speak. He eventually began using a specialized computer program to communicate, and the synthetic voice he adopted as his own spoke with an American accent. There’ve since been many upgrades to his method of communication, but Hawking has kept this voice as part of his identity – it’s even been copyrighted!

Though he was already famous within the scientific community, Stephen Hawking truly came to the public’s attention in 1988 with the release of his seminal popular-science book “A Brief History of Time.” He’d wanted to write a science book that would actually connect with readers – and he succeeded: covering everything from black holes to quantum theory, it became a bestseller, spending almost 150 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list and selling over 10 million copies. However, what’s even more impressive is the fact that this comprehensive work was completed AFTER Hawking was almost fully paralyzed and unable to speak. He’s since gone on to author many other books, including “George’s Secret Key to the Universe,” a science book for children.

Although it’s not his own, Stephen Hawking’s synthesized voice is instantly recognizable to anyone who hears it. That’s because, despite his medical issues, his amazing speech-generating device allows him to communicate. The first model worked entirely via a clicker clutched in his hand, which let him select words and commands on a device attached to his wheelchair. However, ALS ravaged Hawking’s body, ultimately robbing him of the use of his clicking hand. This resulted in an update that allowed him to choose words by moving his cheek muscle. As his condition declined further, a crack team at Intel added more updates thanks to much trial-and-error, ultimately making it possible for him to more quickly open documents, construct sentences and prepare full lectures.

Stephen Hawking’s name is synonymous with genius; his theories have helped advance our understanding of the universe… and yet, his trophy case is missing one of the highest honors in science: yes, as shocking as it may sound, Hawking has yet to be awarded a Nobel Prize. But don’t worry: he has earned some other great distinctions, becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1974 and receiving twelve honorary degrees over the years, for example. However, his best-known work is the theory that predicts that black holes emit radiation – nicknamed Hawking Radiation – and are gradually evaporating. Because Nobel Prizes are reserved for confirmed discoveries, and Hawking Radiation is still technically theoretical, no award has yet been granted.

After noticing some newfound clumsiness and slurred speech, Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease – aka amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS – in 1963. The doctors told the ambitious 21-year-old that he only had two years to live. Shortly before this bad news, he’d met a pretty girl at party. Despite his diagnosis, he and Jane Wilde began dating and were soon engaged, which Hawking credits with giving him “something to live for.” Against all odds, Hawking continued to try to live normally for as long as possible. ALS did eventually take its toll – but not his life. Thanks to groundbreaking technology and the help of family and friends, over fifty years later he’s still defying the odds.

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