Seven reasons why we will never forget Stephen Hawking 

Stephen Hawking passed away at 76 on March 14 at his residence in Cambridge, England. While the reason behind the death is not revealed, his close associates have mentioned that he died peacefully 
Stephen Hawking died at his residence in Cambridge, England
Stephen Hawking died at his residence in Cambridge, England

Wheelchair-bound cosmologist, author, thinker and all-round inspiration for science geeks Stephen Hawking passed away at 76 on March 14, 2018, and mourners simply can't decide what they are sad about the most — will they miss the renowned physicist whose theories on the black hole or the baby universe were mind-blowing. Or will they miss his impeccable will to live beyond all odds? Or maybe, his uncanny sense of humour, which BTW made him extremely popular. 

In spite of his disability, Hawking was living proof of the concept of 'Mind Over Body'.
 

Here are 7 reasons why we will never forget Stephen Hawking or that tinny, mechanical voice and wheelchair:


He got terrible grades at school

He wasn't someone who made everybody jealous of his grades. Let alone jealous, even Hawking's brilliant mind could not cope with the conventional education system in Britain when he was at St Alban's School in Hertfordshire. Though he never got good grades, he was everybody's favourite, including the teachers. Nobody could get over his innovative ideas and logical approach towards problems, especially his Math teacher Dikran Tahta, with whom he  built a computer from clock parts, an old telephone switchboard and other recycled components. That's probably why he was called 'Einstein' by his peers. 

 

He got into Oxford to read Physics and Chemistry because you couldn't just do Maths alone

Hawking's university story was nothing short of inspirational. With little money and lesser family support, the only way to enter University College, Oxford to read Maths was to bag a scholarship for Physics and Chemistry. And as history would have it, he did just that. Though he found his undergrad studies ridiculously easy, he came into his own during his post-grad years when he first came into contact with Cosmology and began delving into Theoretical Physics.  

He was born on the day Galileo died, 300 years apart. Go figure

Though not a huge believer of coincidence and the beyond, Hawking was certainly born on an interesting day. The fact that he was born on the 300th death anniversary of Galileo is something that sends history buffs and coincidence enthusiasts into a tizzy. Perhaps it is nothing short of sheer irony that Galileo, a man who discredited many of his modern world's myths, inspired Hawking, who did the same thing on a whole other plane.

He never let ALS and an ailing body get in the way of his mind

His life story taught the millennial generation what they needed the most — patience and consistency. Hawking was only 21 and a graduate student when he first showed symptoms of tripping and irregularities in his movements. Soon after, he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, that causes the loss of control over the voluntary muscles. During this tough time, he drew inspiration from a younger boy who was battling with another deadly disease and decided that the show would go on. 

He was an academic powerhouse, despite not being able to stand

Well, we all know that Hawking was always a Math wizard. What you probably did not know was the seemingly never-ending list of awards and recognition he has garnered over the past six decades. From being an important member of the Royal Academy of Science to receiving the Albert Einstein Award from the Royal Society, he also held the same academic chair that Sir Isaac Newton did — the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, UK. Other features in his cap include receiving the CBE (Commander of British Empire) and attaining no less than 12 honorary degrees, besides the Wolf Prize, The Presidential Medal of Freedom, Adams Prize and many more. 

He made us believe that aliens could be real. Seriously

Hawking was never shy of talking about the possibility of aliens and went on to hypothesize that they were possibly smarter than humans. Whether or not you were taken in by his many papers on Theoretical Physics, we bet you loved it when he said that we need to colonize Mars in a hurry. Let's face it — everybody felt chills down the spine when he said that aliens might use up their own planet's resources and look to conquer whatever planet they can reach.   

He could always laugh at himself — and his tinny jokes

Imagine a legend trying to make you laugh during a sitcom — we really can't imagine anyone other than Stephen Hawking to do that with The Big Bang Theory. It is indeed a wise man who can laugh at himself. Whether or not Jim Parsons is sad today, it goes without saying that Sheldon Cooper's life will never be the same again.....till the next episode of Fun with Flags, anyway. 

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