steven hawking
By the last decade of the 20th century Stephen Hawking had become one of the best-known scientists in the world. [...] Hawking, a professor of mathematics at Cambridge University, is the author of the best-selling book A Brief History of Time and something of a celebrity: he has made guest appearances on the TV shows Star Trek and The Simpsons. [1]
Stephen Hawking was born on 8 January 1942 to Dr. Frank Hawking, a research biologist, and Isobel Hawking. [...] Stephen Hawking at NASA in 1999. [2]
Hawking wanted to specialise in mathematics in his last couple of years at school where his mathematics teacher had inspired him to study the subject. [3]
He’s an expert on black holes whose stated intention is to unify quantum mechanics with Einstein ’s general theory of relativity, forming a single theory to explain the origin (and end) of the universe. [1]
Using quantum theory and general relativity he was able to show that black holes can emit radiation. [3]
Hawking was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge for thirty years, taking up the post in 1979 and retiring on 1 October 2009. [...] He is known for his contributions to the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity, especially in the context of black holes. [2]
Drawing upon Penrose’s work and on Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, Hawking demonstrated that our universe had its origins in a singularity. [1]
He was awarded a scholarship, despite feeling that he had performed badly, and at University College he specialised in physics in his natural sciences degree. [3]
Professor Stephen Hawking believes the laws of physics were behind the creation of the universe, not God The Archbishop of Canterbury has led a religious backlash after Britain’s most famous scientist declared God redundant. [4]
In collaboration with Jim Hartle, Hawking developed a model in which the universe had no boundary in space-time, replacing the initial singularity of the classical Big Bang models with a region akin to the North Pole: one cannot travel north of the North Pole, as there is no boundary. [2]
Part of his father’s reasoning was that he wanted Hawking to go to University College, Oxford, the College he himself had attended, and that College had no mathematics fellow. [...] From Oxford, Hawking moved to Cambridge to take up research in general relativity and cosmology, a difficult area for someone with only a little mathematical background. [3]
Sources:
[1] Stephen Hawking: Biography from Answers.com
[2] Stephen Hawking - Wikipedia
[3] Stephen William Hawking
[4] Stephen Hawking - Worldnews Network