Niamh McGroarty | Reporter
Steven Hawking sadly passed away in the early hours of Wednesday 14th March, aged 76. The world renown theoretical physicist had been battling with Motor Neutron Disease since his diagnosis in 1963 at age of only 21, which over the years has slowly paralysed his body completely. At his diagnosis he was only given 2 years to live – which for most suffering, is the time they have until death. On average only 10% of those make it little over 5 years before dying – which he outlived by 55 years.
Steven hawking’s life was one certainly lived to beyond full potential. Undoubtedly, what he is most known is his research. In 1959, aged only 17, Hawking received a scholarship to study at University College Oxford, later obtaining a degree in Natural Science.
3 years later he began his research at Cambridge University studying Cosmology. Before long he was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society – aged only 32 – being the youngest person to receive this honour.
In 1979 aged only 33 he was granted the prestigious position of Lucasian professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, a position once held by Issac Newton for 33 years.
Hawking is most famous for his research and for the discovery, in 1974, of the ‘Hawking Radiation’, which allows a black hole to exude energy and eventually leading the black hole togaed away into nothing. Along with the publishing of his book in 1988 of ‘A Brief History of Time’ which talks about cosmology, how we see the universe, how the universe exists, physics which has gone on to sell over 10 million copies in 20 years and has been produced in over 30 languages.
In 2014 Hawking had an amazing film picturing his life on the big sceen in ‘A Theory of Everything’ where he was played by Eddie Redmayne.
“If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason — for then we would know the mind of God,” – ‘A Brief History of Time’
Along with an everlasting list of all the scientific achievements from Hawking, he had a loving family life. He married his first wife in 1965: Jane Wilde, a modern languages student, who also attended Cambridge, where they met at a New Years Eve party. She gave him his first 3 children; Robert in May 1967, Lucy in November 1970 and Timothy in 1979. They met before his diagnosis and were married for 3 decades but later to be divorced in July of 1995 where he fell in love with his nurse Elaine Manson where they later married in September the same year.
“It is not enough for me to wear dark sunglasses and a wig. The wheelchair gives me away.” – 2006
Undoubtedly, Stephen Hawking lived a fulfilling life and one which provided us all with a greater insight into the world around us. As an icon for many around the world, Hawking’s death has certainly left us with a huge hole to fill.
