A visionary minded physicist, a scientific promoter, a guru of modern cosmology: Stephen Hawking – who passed away at the age of 76 on March 14, 2018 – has not only been a brilliant scientist, but also a contemporary pop icon, very familiar to the fans of the TV series The Simpsons and to the ones of Star Trek, and during the last period of his life also to the young followers of the boy band One Direction or to the fans of The Big Bang Theory.
In the movie “The Theory of Everything” we have learned the most intimate and dramatic aspects of his exceptional story, but the life of Stephen Hawking is filled with many stories and curiosities, some of which are probably less known to the general public. For instance, did you know about the bet he made forty years ago on black holes? What about his contribution to rock music? Below are 10 facts you should know about the British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking.
Between Stephen Hawking and school books it wasn’t love at first sight. When he was 9 years old, his grades were among the worst in the class; nevertheless it is said that little Stevie had a special interest in radios, clocks and anything that could be disassembled to study how they work. That is why, despite the fact that his report cards were not very good, teachers and classmates gave him the nickname of “Einstein”.
