Photo by Rebecca Melton
Stephen Hawking (1942-2018) was a theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author. Hawking was extraordinarily bright, and helped the world gain further understanding of black holes. He also searched for the origin of the universe. Hawking had a rare, early onset form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that slowly paralyzed him throughout his entire life. He was diagnosed with this at age 21, and given two years to live. Yet, he lived until he was 76- 53 years past his given ‘death date.’ Hawking was still capable of speech, however, using a single cheek muscle to control a speech-generating device. On top of his brilliant mind, Hawking was also known for wonderful character and bright sense of humor. In his youth, Hawking would protest the Vietnam War and would march with civil rights activists. Hawking also guest-starred in many television shows, The Big Bang Theory specifically, and had a movie made of his life.