Stephen Hawking, one of the greatest minds of our time, passes away aged 76 – TheLiberal.ie – Our News, Your Views

Stephen Hawking, one of the greatest minds of our time, passes away aged 76




Picture source: Scienews

Stephen Hawking, one of the greatest scientific minds of our times, has sadly passed away aged 76.

He was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 1963, at the aged of 21. Doctors gave him 24 months to live at most, but he defied all odds by surviving for over 50 years. He became confined to a wheelchair in the late 1960s, but his intellect would remain bright and active until his passing.

Hawking’s visionary studies and theories made him stand out among the scientific community.

He was the author of the seminal work A Brief History of Time, for example. First published in 1988, the book entered the Guinness Book of Records after it stayed on the Sunday Times bestsellers list for 237 weeks. It would eventually go on to sell over 10m copies and be translated into 40 languages.

Other works of his include The Universe in a Nutshell (2001), A Briefer History of Time (2005), The Grand Design (2010), and many others.

Hawking achieved more in his life than most of us ever will in ours, particularly given his physical condition.

He leaves behind three children, Robert, Lucy and Timothy from his first marriage to Jane Wilde, and three grandchildren.

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