--- title: "Who is Stephen Hawking?" description: "Who is Stephen Hawking?" author: "ASHUTOSH PANDEY" published: 2018-09-06 canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/49669/who-is-stephen-hawking category: "science" tags: ["scientists"] reading_time: 3 minutes --- # Who is Stephen Hawking? Who is [Stephen Hawking](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/115266/how-did-stephen-hawking-contribute-to-our-understanding-of-the-universe-despite-his-illness)? ## Answers ### Answer by Sanjay Goenka **Stephen William Hawking** was an **English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author too**. At the time of his death, he was the **director of research at the Centre of Theoretical Cosmology at the University** of Cambridge. \ ![Who is Stephen Hawking?](https://answers.mindstick.com/questionanswer/048f110d-feb3-4fcb-942c-3778e3971b26/images/f23c6bf1-68b6-4a8f-97d3-a3cd47d05982.jpeg)\ \ **Early life** From the beginning of his life, he had been a **mysterious child** and he was **born on 8th January 1942**, exactly **three hundreds year** after the death of **famous astronomer Galileo Galilei**. And often was called the **father of –observational astronomy**. He was born in **Oxford** to **frank and Isolbil Eileen Hawking**. He had a happy childhood with his siblings and most of the **time spent in the Highgate**. He was studied at **Oxford University** and he was the topper of his class. His classmates used to call him the **Einstien of the class.** \ **Graduation from Oxford and move to Cambridge** In the 1960s the **Stephen agreed to apply to the college** of his father in the **university college of Oxford**. His father was a great medicine specialist and he **wanted the study of medicine** by Stephen but, **Stephen never showed his interest in the medical** stream as he always showed his **inclination and hard passion in mathematics** hence he **choose mathematics and Physics at Oxford.** **\** **At the age of 17, he went to Oxford** and after discussing from father he **agreed to take the natural sciences as the Subject**. In **1962 he went to Trinity College at Cambridge** University and the fact to go there was he told the examiners that if they would give him the first position award degree he will leave Oxford and if they will give the second position degree he will stay in Oxford and study here but as expected by him he was received the first position degree and he went to the Cambridge. In **1965, Stephen applied for the fellowship at the Gonville & Caius College** and he was awarded the **fellowship** and he remained the fellow of that college for the rest of his life. He was settled in the day-to-day life in science and died on March 208. \ **Researches and contribution in the science** Stephen primarily worked in the **field of general relativity** and particularly in the **[physics](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/52041/lux-is-the-si-unit-of) of Blackholes**. In **1971 he suggested and gave the formation of the earth** with the help of **[Big Bang theory](https://www.space.com/25126-big-bang-theory.html).** **In 1974, he proposed that by the predictions of quantum theory**, Black **holes emit subatomic particles**. His work is memorable in the part of the classical **thermodynamics and quantum theory and showed the relation between them.** \ - **Popular books of Stephen Hawking** - **A brief history of time** - **Black holes and baby Universes and other essays** - **The universe in a nutshell** - **On the shoulders of Giants** - **God created the integers** - **My brief history** - **Brief Answers to the big questions** \ **Death** Stephen **died at the age of 76** at his home in **Cambridge** on **14 March 2018** and his private funeral take place on **31 March 2018.** His family stated that he died peacefully. Read more [Lux is the SI unit of ?](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/52041/lux-is-the-si-unit-of) --- Original Source: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/49669/who-is-stephen-hawking Copyright © MindStick Software Pvt. Ltd. This Markdown version is provided for developers, AI systems, and offline reading.