Stephen Hawking was one of the greatest scientists to grace this and the last century, and although most of us might not know much about him, we were sad by his passing a few days back.

It would be interesting to know more about this great person, don’t you agree? Here are 11 facts about the man, some of which will make you go – REALLY?!

He Wasn’t Great at His Studies, at First

Yep, you read that right. To be precise, when Hawking was 9 years old, his grades were so bad, he was ranked the worst in his entire class. Yikes!

Here’s the funny thing though – he had a nickname, Einstein. He might not have done great in his school subjects, but he really enjoyed figuring out how things worked. Hawking has previously spoken about how he used to be known for dismantling radios and clocks.

So for some of you who aren’t great with your studies, remember this: Stephen Hawking wasn’t initially, as well. Look at where he went after that.

He Scored Big With His Scholarship Exams

We just spoke about how bad his school grades used to be. By the time he was done with school, all he had was lukewarm grades to show.

His dad was very keen to send him to the prestigious Oxford University, yet he was worried at the same time. Hawking’s father had no money to support his education if he didn’t secure a scholarship for his studies.

Thankfully, everything was fine when he sat for the scholarship examinations. Hawking pretty much did a home run, with an almost full score in the physics paper.

Another lesson? You don’t need a lot of money to do great things.

He Didn’t Really Enjoy Biology and Ended Up Learning Cosmology

Although Stephen Hawking loved Maths from the time he was a kid, his dad was hoping that he’d take up medicine instead.

It didn’t happen, as well all can guess. According to Larsen, he found it too descriptive and to top it off, inexact too.  He preferred concepts that were actually more defined and precise.

As Oxford had no Mathematics major, he opted for a Physics major instead. Here, he picked to further his education and study cosmology, even when at that time it was not even looked at as a legitimate field.

The Hawking Radiation

This article won’t be complete if we do not mention his theory. According to “Hawking Radiation”, which comes from quantum mechanics, Hawking states that the emissions caused by radiation eventually leads to black holes evaporating and vanishing.

Why, just two years back, Hawking joked about how his lack of a Nobel Prize was more of “a pity”. Well, he didn’t need to think about it much, seeing that he’s had a couple of other accolades given to him, including the Albert Einstein Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Hughes Medal.

He’s Not Won The Nobel Prize

How can that be? Ok, read on – things are about to get heavy. And it’s once again related to his Hawking Radiation theory.

Although the theory was accepted by most scientists, it has yet to win the Nobel Prize, simply because no physician or astronomer has proved it as yet.

To get a Nobel Prize, the theory must be proved. But just so you know, gravity is a theory as well.

He’s Written a Couple of Books

Yes, Hawking has never let anything stand in his way. His achievements have poured onto books too. A Brief History of Time is considered his most successful book to date, which talks about breaking the boundaries of time – Was there ever a beginning for time in the first place? Can time go back, instead of just forward? Sounds complex right?

He has a couple of other fantastic books to his name. The ones related to his field of study are Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays, The Universe in a Nutshell and God Created the Integers. There are a number of co-authored books like The Grand Design, The Nature of Space and Time and George’s Secret Key to the Universe which is a children’s book written with his daughter, Lucy Hawking.

He Got Hit By ALS at 21

Not sure what ALS is? Also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, this disease is neurological, and it caused Hawking to lose control of his voluntary muscles. He was, in fact, told that he only had a couple of years to live.

Hawking was devastated by the news, and wondered why he had to suffer from it. He did, however, see a boy die from leukemia while he was in the hospital, and realized that there were others who had it worse than he did.

He decided to be more optimistic about his life and started dating his soon-to-be future wife, Jane Wilde whom he met months before he was diagnosed.

Why He Went On a Zero-Gravity Flight

Hawking has said time and again that the possibility of a nuclear war and global warming necessitates the need for the future of the human race to continue in outer space. Because of this, he supports space travel and hopes that someday, space tourism will be affordable to the human community.

Well, it’s not affordable yet, but space tourism is a reality now.

The Ice-Bucket Challenge and the Hawking family

Stephen Hawking accepted to participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge, which went viral and reached millions about the dreadful ALS disease. However, as he was suffering from severe pneumonia, his children did the challenge on his behalf.

The Ice Bucket Challenge raised a total of US$115 million (S$151.52 million), and has helped fund a number of related researches. One of its recent research has led to the finding of a new gene linked to ALS, which is giving scientists a glimmer of light in finding a treatment solution.

He is a Pop Icon As Well

Unlike other scientists who usually only appeared in documentaries, Stephan Hawking made cameos on TV not to talk about science, but just to see the fun side of him.

Here’s him in The Big Bang Theory:

And here, in Star Trek: The Next Generation:

In both, he played himself.

Good one, Mr Hawking!

Hawking vs The Pope

Hawking is an atheist – he doesn’t believe in God, and says that Science can explain on the universe’s creation. The former pope to the Catholic church though, Pope John Paul II did not support his views, as he engaged that there’s no doubt on who created the universe- God.

Hmm… Seems like there’s a lot of things we can learn from Hawking. The most significant takeaway is to not fear in the sight of an obstacle, and push on. He surely did!

Mr Hawking, Rest in Peace!

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This article was first published on goodyfeed.com

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