Stephen W. Hawking, best-selling author and Cambridge University physicist, passed away in his Cambridge, England home on Wednesday at the age of 76. Michio Kaku, a professor of theoretical physics at the City University of New York, praised Hawking’s legacy, saying, “Not since Albert Einstein has a scientist so captured the public imagination and endeared himself to tens of millions of people around the world.” Dr. Hawking achieved much of his public renown through his book, A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes. Since its publication in 1988, the book has sold over 10 million copies and even inspired a documentary. Among his numerous honors, Dr. Hawking enjoyed a starring role in the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Paralympics Games in London and in 1982, was named a commander of the British Empire. Despite his intellectual achievements, Dr. Hawking was never awarded a Nobel Prize. His explanation for this was characteristically to the point: “The Nobel is given only for theoretical work that has been confirmed by observation. It is very, very difficult to observe the things I have worked on.”
See Dennis Overbye, Stephen Hawking Dies at 76; His Mind Roamed the Cosmos, The New York Times, March 14, 2018.
Special thanks to Dr. Rickey J. Reynolds for bringing this article to my attention.
