There is no reason why we should forget Stephen William Hawking who was born to eccentric parents. His father Frank was a medical practitioner specialising in tropical diseases and his mother Isobel was a Scottish doctor’s daughter. They were quite wealthy and lived in a large house in St. Albans close to London. There were heaps of books everywhere in the house. The date he was born – January 8, 1942 – had some significance. The 300th death anniversary of Galileo fell on that date. Galileo was an Italian mathematician and astronomer who boldly said that the sun was the centre of our planetary system.
Hawking said Galileo was the first scientist who used his eyes both physically and figuratively. The scientific community firmly believes that Galileo was the pioneer of the Age of Science. Young Hawking had the privilege of attending St. Albans private school known for its academic excellence. As a bright student he won the school divinity prize and became a member of a group of highly intelligent students. They hero-worshipped Kingsley Amis, Aldous Huxley and Bertrand Russell, three eminent people at the time.
Even as a student Hawking was a math wizard. He did not spend much time on math homework, but he always got full marks for the subject. He had the uncanny ability to solve math problems without thinking much about them. As a result, he drew the attention of his teachers. One day the science teacher posed a question to the class: “Does a cup of hot tea reach a drinkable temperature more quickly if you put the milk in first or add the milk after pouring?” While his classmates were racking their brains to find the correct answer, Hawking got up and said, “Add the milk after pouring of course.”
Errors in textbook
Hawking won a scholarship to read Natural Science at Oxford University. He found that it was an easy course to follow. Unlike other students, he had to do only one hour’s work every day to master the subject. One day, a tutor asked him to solve some physics problems taken from a textbook. However, Hawking did not try to solve the problems. When the tutor asked him why he did not try to solve the problems, Hawking told him that there were errors in the textbook. After some time, he became bored with the teaching and directed his attention to boat riding. While sitting in the boat his head was in the stars working out mathematical problems!
He was not much interested in observational astronomy because his pet subject was theoretical cosmology. Albert Einstein who developed the General Theory of Relativity challenged Sir Isaac Newton’s concept of ‘Clockwork universe.’ Einstein believed that space-time is not something fixed and permanent. He also said that the universe is not static. It is apparent that Hawking was influenced by Einstein’s theories.
Hawking’s 21st birthday party happened to be a turning point in his life. His father observed how Hawking was trying to pour a glass of wine without spilling it. Unfortunately, most of the wine fell on the tablecloth. Sensing danger, his father referred him to a specialist who in turn sent him to St Bartholomew’s Hospital for tests. Doctors diagnosed him with motor neurone disease which is incurable. They gave him two and a half years to live. However, the disease had left the higher brain functions untouched.
Waiting for death
At first, he shut himself away waiting for death. However, he did not die within the stipulated period of time. He fought back valiantly against depression and the creeping paralysis. Instead of wallowing in depression, Hawking proceeded to revolutionise cosmology, the study of the universe. At 51, he published his bestseller A Brief History of Time and became a globe trotter driving his wheelchair. The man who was destined to die prematurely suddenly became the world’s greatest scientist.
The temporary recovery from the debilitating disease was mainly due to Jane Wilde. She was attracted to him because of his eccentric character and intellectual arrogance. Then she started going out with him on picnics. His love for Jane changed his attitude to life. He wanted to live and enjoy life. Finally they got married in 1965. Their house was always full of his friends and well-wishers. However, his happiness was short-lived. In the following year his condition worsened. His speech became unintelligible and he had to use crutches. With all such disabilities, he did not want anyone’s help. John Boston, author of Beyond the Blackhole: Stephen Hawking’s Universe said, “He was the bravest man I have ever met.”
When his son Robert was born in 1967, Hawking had won the prestigious Adams Prize for one of his essays. With social recognition, he became very optimistic. Hawking and Roger Penrose published their momentous theorem proving mathematically that there had been a big bang. According to them, the universe must have been born 15 billion years ago.
Breathing device
Because of his debilitating disease, Hawking could not talk properly. He began to use a plastic breathing device. When someone asked a question, he would move two fingers to spell out his reply. A voice-synthesiser connected to a computer then turned the words into speech. One day the celebrated Hollywood actress Shirley MacLaine came to see him. She was interested in metaphysics and spiritual matters. She asked him point blank whether he believed in God and his creations. Hawking smiled and said, “No.” Although she did not agree with him, she respected his vast knowledge of theoretical cosmology. His views of the origin of the universe and laws governing it made him the greatest physicist of our time.
His book A Brief History of Time was primarily aimed at the lay reader. Even if you have not studied science, you can read the book with absorbing interest. The book was an instant bestseller in Britain and the United States. There was also a big demand for the book from other English speaking countries.
In 1970 his second child Lucy was born. He began to travel giving talks and addressing seminars. He was so happy that he danced at a party with Jane spinning his wheelchair. Then he moved to an electric wheelchair which gave him complete freedom of movement. When he started receiving many awards and recognition, Jane felt ignored. She became a teacher of French and Spanish in Cambridge. As an Anglican she had faith in God, but Hawking’s views went against it. As far as the universe is concerned, there is a border between science and religion. Hawking firmly stood on the scientific side and did not believe in God or creation.
Albert Einstein Award
His achievements began to escalate in 1977. In the following year, he received the prestigious Albert Einstein Award. His third child was born two years later. Hawking was appointed the Professor of Mathematics. He said, “If you are disabled physically, you cannot afford to be disabled psychologically.” That showed his tremendous willpower.
In the 1980s Hawking posed the question whether there had been a beginning to time at all. At first, he thought that after the Big Bang the universe expanded to a certain size and then after billions of years, gravity made it collapse back inward into a Big Crunch. Thus he said time had a beginning and an end. He also said there was no absolute point at which the universe began.
Hawking died at his home in Cambridge on March 14, 2018 at the age of 76. Inscribed on his memorial stone are the words: “Here lies what was mortal of Stephen Hawking 1942-2018 and his most famous equation.” His final words came in the form of a book that was completed by his family after his death. His final words in the book were: “There is no God. No one directs the universe.”
