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Stephen Hawking Timeline
(1942 - 2018)Stephen Hawking (1942–2018) was a renowned British theoretical physicist and cosmologist, famous for his work on black holes, Hawking radiation, and his best-selling book 'A Brief History of Time.' Despite being diagnosed with ALS at age 21, he became one of the most influential scientists of his era. More Less
Early Life and Education
Stephen Hawking is born in Oxford
Jan 8, 1942
Stephen William Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on the 300th anniversary of the death of Galileo Galilei. His parents, Frank and Isobel Hawking, had moved to Oxford from London to escape wartime bombing during World War II.
Image source: Stephen Hawking
Attends St Albans School
Sep 1, 1950 - 1959
Hawking attended St Albans School in Hertfordshire after his family moved to nearby St Albans. Though initially a middling student academically, he developed a keen interest in science and earned the nickname 'Einstein' among classmates.
Begins studies at University College, Oxford
Oct 1, 1959 - 1962
At age 17, Hawking began studying physics and chemistry at University College, Oxford. Despite finding much of the coursework unchallenging, he graduated with first-class honours in natural sciences in 1962.
Image source: University College, Oxford
Begins graduate research at Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Oct 1, 1962
Hawking moved to the University of Cambridge to pursue doctoral research in cosmology at Trinity Hall under the supervision of Dennis Sciama, turning his attention to the study of the early universe and general relativity.
Image source: Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Diagnosed with motor neurone disease (ALS)
Jan 1, 1963
At just 21 years old, Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a degenerative motor neurone disease, and was given roughly two years to live. He defied this prognosis for over five decades, continuing his scientific work as the disease gradually paralysed him.
Image source: ALS
Elected Fellow of Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge
Jan 1, 1965
Hawking became a Research Fellow at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, where he would remain affiliated for the rest of his life, rising through the academic ranks over the following decades.
Image source: Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Marries Jane Wilde
Jul 14, 1965
Hawking married Jane Wilde, a modern languages student he had met shortly before his diagnosis. Their marriage gave him renewed motivation and support as his health declined; the couple later had three children: Robert, Lucy, and Timothy.
Loses ability to speak after tracheotomy
Jan 1, 1985
During a visit to Geneva, Hawking contracted pneumonia and underwent a lifesaving tracheotomy that permanently removed his natural speech. He subsequently communicated using a speech-generating device operated via a cheek muscle, retaining his distinctive robotic American accent.
Image source: Tracheotomy
Divorces Jane Wilde
Jan 1, 1990
After twenty-five years of marriage, Hawking and Jane Wilde divorced. The strains of his illness and growing fame had placed heavy pressure on their relationship. Hawking later married his nurse Elaine Mason in 1995; they divorced in 2006.
Scientific Contributions
Completes PhD thesis on expanding universes
Jan 1, 1965 - Mar 1, 1966
Hawking completed his doctoral thesis, 'Properties of Expanding Universes,' which applied general relativity to cosmology and argued that the universe could be understood through singularity theorems. He received his PhD in March 1966.
Image source: Stephen Hawking
Key Facts
- Stephen Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, in Oxford, England, exactly 300 years after the death of Galileo Galilei.
- At age 21, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and was given only a few years to live, but he survived for over five decades with the disease.
- In 1974, he proposed 'Hawking radiation,' the revolutionary theory that black holes emit radiation and can eventually evaporate.
- His 1988 book 'A Brief History of Time' became an international bestseller, staying on the Sunday Times bestseller list for more than four years.
- He held the position of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge from 1979 to 2009, a chair once held by Isaac Newton.
Source
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