Stephen Hawking is one of the most brilliant minds in astrophysics. Everyone knows his name, but much of his biography is still not well-known.
This list of Stephen Hawking facts will make you realize Stephen Hawking is not only brilliant, but funny and self-aware. By the time you finish reading it, you'll be even more amazed by both his mental and physical accomplishments.
22 Things You Didn't Know About Stephen Hawking,
He Grew Up Poor
His family wasn't penniless, but they did live a frugal life. His parents could not afford to pay Oxford tuition, so the only way Stephen could attend was if he got a scholarship. Sure enough, he received one when he aced the entrance exams - he got almost a perfect score in physics!
He Wasn't Supposed to Live Past His Mid-Twenties
When he was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 21, doctors told him he had only two more years to live. He's now 74 years old, so he's surpassed his life expectancy by 51 years.
He Wanted to Major in Math
Instead of medicine, Stephen wanted to study mathematics. He took to math because the concepts were so precise and well-defined. The problem was that Oxford, where his father wanted him to study, did not have a math major. Stephen and his father compromised, and Stephen agreed to attend Oxford and study physics.
His Whole Family Was Smart... and Weird
The whole Hawking family - Stephen, his parents, and his siblings - were highly intelligent, but also quite eccentric. They often ate their meals in silence, with each person reading his or her own book.
He Was Born on the 300th Anniversary of Galileo's Death
Stephen Hawking's birthday is January 8, 1944. That's exactly 300 years after Galileo's death. It's a delightful coincidence, given that Galileo was a revolutionary astronomer in his own time, and Stephen Hawking would go on to be a revolutionary astrophysicist.
He Was on the Rowing Team at Oxford
Stephen Hawking joined the rowing team to break out of the isolation he experienced at Oxford. Because he was not particularly athletic, he served as coxswain, a team member who does not row, but instead controls the stroke and the steering.
Both of His Parents Went to Oxford
It's not terribly surprising that brilliant parents gave birth to a brilliant child. Stephen Hawking's father, Frank, studied medicine at Oxford, and his mother, Isobel, studied philosophy, politics, and economics.
His Father Wanted Him to Study Medicine
Frank Hawking wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and study medicine at Oxford. Stephen, however, did not like biology. He said it was, "too inexact, too descriptive."
He Got Mediocre Grades in School
When Stephen was growing up, his grades were never above average. This was not because of a lack of intelligence, but rather a lack of effort. He devoted his time to other things, like taking apart radios to see how they worked.
His Teachers Nicknamed Him "Einstein"
Despite his mediocre grades, Stephen's teachers and peers knew that he was incredibly smart. As a teenager, he and his friends built a computer from scratch. His teachers, in a somewhat prophetic way, nicknamed him Einstein.