- Title: Stephen Hawking
- (a) Personality: Stephen Hawking
- (b) Age: 76 years (8 January 1942 – 14 March 2018)
- (c) Books: A Brief History of Time, The Universe in a Nutshell, A Briefer History of Time, The Grand Design, The Theory of Everything
- (d) Field of excellence: theoretical physics and cosmology
- (e) Achievements: groundbreaking work uniting relativity and quantum mechanics; best-selling science books; Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge; Presidential Medal of Freedom
Summary: Stephen Hawking was a British theoretical physicist and cosmologist who did groundbreaking work on the origin of the universe. At 21 he was diagnosed with ALS and given only a few years to live, but the illness made him devote himself to research. Though he gradually lost control of his body and his voice, he worked with the help of a computer speech program and assistants. His book ‘A Brief History of Time’ made him world famous, and his other books made science accessible to everyone. His life is an example of courage and determination.