10 Amazing Facts About Stephen Hawking You Might Not Have Heard Before

Even if you’re not closely following the latest in physics, you’ve likely heard of Stephen Hawking, the renowned physicist. Known for simplifying his complex theories for the general public, he authored the iconic book, 'A Brief History of Time.' You might also recognize his sharp humor from appearances on 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien,' 'The Simpsons,' or even 'Star Trek.'

Even if you're familiar with his academic achievements, there are plenty of fascinating aspects of Professor Stephen Hawking's life you might not know — from his university years and the gradual progression of his disability to his views on quantum theory and the nature of theoretical physics.

Stephen Hawking's life is filled with intriguing facts. For instance, he was born on January 8, 1942, which marked the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death. But this is just the beginning. Let's dive into some surprising and inspiring details about Hawking's remarkable journey.

10: Struggled with Mediocre Grades in School

Today, we recognize Hawking as one of the most brilliant minds of our time, with theories that challenge even the brightest scientific minds. But it may surprise you to learn that as a child, he was considered a 'slacker' at St. Albans school. At just 9 years old, his grades were among the lowest in his class [source: Larsen]. With some extra effort, he managed to improve his grades to an average level, though they weren't much higher than that.

As a child, Stephen Hawking was known for taking apart clocks and radios. However, he confessed that he wasn't very skilled at putting them back together so they worked again. Despite his lackluster grades, both his teachers and peers recognized his brilliance, as evidenced by his nickname, "Einstein."

Stephen's academic struggles stemmed from his father's ambition for him to attend Oxford. However, the Hawking family couldn't afford it without a scholarship. When the scholarship exams arrived, Stephen excelled, scoring nearly perfect on the physics exam.

9: Didn't Like Biology

From an early age, Stephen Hawking developed a strong passion for mathematics and would have preferred to major in it. However, his father had other plans, hoping Stephen would pursue medicine. Yet, Stephen didn't enjoy biology, later describing it as "too inexact, too descriptive" [source: Larsen]. He preferred to focus on subjects with more precise and well-defined concepts.

One challenge Stephen faced was that Oxford didn't offer mathematics as a major. As a result, he compromised by attending Trinity Hall at the university, where he majored in physics. Within physics, he chose to tackle the grander questions. When deciding between two branches—particle physics, which explores subatomic particles, and cosmology, which examines the universe on a larger scale—he opted for cosmology.

Despite the fact that, at the time, cosmology was "hardly recognized as a legitimate field" [source: Hawking], Hawking chose it over particle physics. He explained his choice by saying that particle physics "seemed like botany. There were all these particles, but no theory" [source: Larsen].

8: Was Part of Oxford's Rowing Team

Biographer Kristine Larsen describes how Stephen Hawking struggled with loneliness and sadness during his first year at Oxford. Interestingly, what helped him overcome this slump was joining the rowing team. Despite not being particularly large or athletic, even before his diagnosis of Lou Gehrig's disease, Hawking was recruited by the rowing team. Coxswains, who do not row but manage the steering and stroke rate, were typically smaller men like him.

Rowing was a highly competitive sport at Oxford, and as a member of the team, Hawking became quite well-known. One teammate from that time referred to him as "the adventurous type" [source: Larsen]. However, the time commitment to rowing, with practice six afternoons a week, took a toll on his academic work. To balance both, Hawking began "cutting corners" and resorting to "creative analysis to create lab reports" [source: Larsen].

7: Given Only a Few Years to Live at 21

While in graduate school, Hawking began experiencing symptoms like tripping and general clumsiness. His family grew concerned when he returned home for Christmas break and urged him to see a doctor. Before visiting a specialist, however, he attended a New Year's party where he met his future wife, Jane Wilde. She was drawn to his "sense of humor and his independent personality."

A week after turning 21, Hawking entered the hospital for two weeks of tests. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, a neurodegenerative condition that affects voluntary muscle control. Doctors told him he likely had only a few years left to live.

Hawking recalled his initial shock and confusion, wondering why such a fate had befallen him. However, witnessing a young boy suffering from leukemia in the hospital made him realize that there were others in even greater distress than he was.

Hawking grew more hopeful and began a relationship with Jane. They quickly got engaged, and he later mentioned that their engagement gave him "something to live for" [source: Larsen].

6: Helped Create the Boundless Universe Theory

One of Hawking's significant contributions (which he co-developed with Jim Hartle) was the theory that the universe is boundaryless. In 1983, the two integrated concepts from quantum mechanics (the study of subatomic particles) with Einstein's theory of general relativity (which describes gravity and the way mass bends space) to demonstrate that while the universe is a contained system, it has no boundaries.

To illustrate this concept, he asked people to imagine the universe as the surface of the Earth. As a sphere, you can move in any direction on the Earth's surface and never reach a corner, edge, or boundary where the Earth can be said to "end." However, the key distinction is that Earth's surface is two-dimensional (even though the Earth itself is three-dimensional), while the universe operates in four dimensions.

Hawking elaborated that spacetime can be compared to the lines of latitude on a globe. Starting from the North Pole (the universe's origin) and moving south, the circumferences increase until passing the equator, at which point they shrink. This implies that the universe is finite in spacetime and will eventually collapse—but not for another 20 billion years [source: Hawking].

Does this suggest that time might reverse itself? The theoretical physicist pondered this question but ultimately concluded no, as there is no reason to think that the universe's tendency to move from ordered to disordered energy will reverse [source: Hawking].

5: Lost a Bet on Black Holes

In 2004, the brilliant Hawking admitted he had been mistaken and conceded a bet he made in 1997 with another scientist about black holes. To understand the bet, we need to take a step back and first grasp what black holes actually are.

Stars are immense and possess massive amounts of mass, which results in incredibly strong gravity. This is manageable as long as the star continues to burn its nuclear fuel, pushing outward and countering the pull of gravity. However, when a massive star reaches the end of its life and depletes its fuel, gravity takes over, causing the star to collapse in on itself. This results in what scientists refer to as a black hole.

The collapse of a star is so intense that not even light can escape the gravitational pull. Nonetheless, in 1975, Hawking proposed that black holes aren't truly black; they actually emit energy. At the time, he also suggested that the information within a black hole is lost as it eventually evaporates. However, this idea conflicted with the principles of quantum mechanics, leading to what Hawking termed the "information paradox."

American theoretical physicist John Preskill challenged Hawking's assertion that information is lost within a black hole. In 1997, Preskill bet Hawking that information could escape from a black hole, thereby preserving the laws of quantum mechanics. Hawking lost this bet. In a 2004 lecture at a scientific conference, Hawking acknowledged that black holes have multiple "topologies," and when measuring all the information emitted from these topologies, no information is truly lost [source: Rodgers].

4: Honored with Numerous Awards and Distinctions

Throughout his extensive career in physics, Hawking amassed an extraordinary collection of awards and honors. In 1974, he was inducted into the Royal Society (the U.K.'s royal academy of science, founded in 1660), and the following year, Pope Paul VI honored him and Roger Penrose with the Pius XI Gold Medal for Science. He also received the Albert Einstein Award and the Hughes Medal from the Royal Society.

By 1979, Hawking had established himself as a prominent figure in academia, earning the prestigious position of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge in England. He held this esteemed role for three decades. The chair, which dates back to 1663, had previously been held by none other than Sir Isaac Newton.

During the 1980s, Hawking was appointed as a Commander of the British Empire, a prestigious rank just below being knighted in the United Kingdom. He also became a Companion of Honour, a further distinction recognizing his national contributions. In 2009, he was awarded the United States' highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Throughout his remarkable career, Hawking received at least 12 honorary degrees. However, despite his many accomplishments, the Nobel Prize remained elusive to him.

3: Authored a Children's Book

One of the more surprising aspects of Stephen Hawking's career is his role as a children's book author. In 2007, he teamed up with his daughter, Lucy Hawking, to create "George's Secret Key to the Universe."

The story follows George, a young boy who defies his parents' dislike of technology. He befriends a neighbor who happens to be a physicist with access to a super-powerful computer. This computer allows him to access portals to explore outer space.

The book serves as a fun way to introduce children to complex scientific topics like black holes and the origins of life. It is no surprise that Hawking, known for his desire to make science accessible, would write such a book.

Intended to be the first in a series, the book set the stage for further adventures. The second installment, titled "George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt," was released in 2009.

2: Believed in the Possibility of Aliens

With Hawking's extensive work in cosmology, it's no surprise that his thoughts on the possibility of alien life were highly anticipated. At NASA's 50th anniversary event, he spoke about the enormity of the universe and suggested the presence of primitive alien life, as well as the potential for intelligent life.

"Primitive life is very common," Hawking remarked, "while intelligent life is extremely rare." He also added with characteristic humor, "Some would say it has yet to occur on Earth" [source: Hawking]. He cautioned that humans should be cautious about potential contact with aliens, as extraterrestrial life may not be DNA-based, leaving us vulnerable to diseases.

Hawking further explored the potential for alien life in an episode of "Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking" on the Discovery Channel. In the episode, he suggested that aliens might exhaust their planet's resources, turning into nomads who seek to conquer and colonize other planets. Alternatively, they could construct a mirror system to concentrate the sun's energy, possibly creating a wormhole that allows travel through spacetime.

1: Took a Zero-gravity Flight to Help Save Humanity

In 2007, when Stephen Hawking was 65, he embarked on the adventure of a lifetime. He experienced zero gravity and floated out of his wheelchair, thanks to Zero Gravity Corp. The experience involves an airplane flight with steep climbs and descents, allowing passengers to feel weightless for several 25-second intervals.

Freed from his wheelchair for the first time in over 40 years, Hawking even executed gymnastic flips. Additionally, he secured a seat with Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic to join a sub-orbital flight to space.

However, what makes this particularly fascinating isn't so much what he was able to achieve, but rather his underlying motivation. When questioned about his reasons, he naturally mentioned his desire to venture into space. Yet, his passion for space exploration and his broader support for it extended far beyond mere personal curiosity.

Amid concerns about global warming or the threat of nuclear warfare, Hawking expressed that the future of humanity, if it is to be sustained, lies in space [source: Boyle]. He championed private space exploration, hopeful that space tourism would become accessible to the public. His vision included humanity utilizing resources from other planets to ensure its survival [source: Daily Mail].

A Brief History of Stephen William Hawking

Stephen Hawking made monumental strides in popularizing ideas surrounding quantum theory, gravitational physics, the big bang theory, and black holes. It’s a challenge to encapsulate his incredible life and achievements in a single article.

The brilliant author, professor, and intellectual passed away in 2018. He left behind an extraordinary legacy, accomplishing so much while enduring the effects of motor neurone disease for over fifty years.

Continue reading for a wealth of additional insights into Stephen Hawking, physics, and related topics.