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Stephen William Hawking

by Ben from San Diego

Picture of Stephen Hawking (Picture from Official Hawking website ())
Picture of Stephen Hawking (Picture from Official Hawking website ())

Much of what we know of our universe today originates from a single scientist, sitting in a wheelchair in England. That man, as you probably know, is Stephen Hawking. Born on January 8, 1942, 300 years after the death of Galileo, Hawking is now one of the world's most well-known scientists, and a bestselling author. Many people thought that Stephen Hawking, after being diagnosed with ALS, wouldn't be able to accomplish anything--he thought otherwise. Stephen Hawking is a hero, not only because of his attitude toward hardship, but also his contribution to astrophysics and cosmology.

One reason Stephen Hawking is a hero is because he expanded our knowledge of physics. During his time, people were thinking about singularities, a small, dense theoretical cosmic object: "Hawking's greatest contribution to the field was the recognition that the singularity was where the cosmos and quantum theory met" (Witherbee). In his time, scientists tried understanding singularities with general relativity. By using Quantum mechanics instead, Hawking unlocked the idea of the singularity. Also, scientists were struggling to figure out how the universe came into being: "if the universe prior to the big bang was analogous to a black hole, it would one day burst like a black hole; therefore, the big bang could be explained by combining relativity and quantum mechanics" (Magrass). Stephen Hawking discovered that black holes would emit radiation, which would result in an explosion. Since the beginning of the universe is thought as a singularity, he realized that a long time ago, the universe would explode and constantly expand. This theory evolved into today's Big Bang Theory. With his help, the fields of astrophysics and cosmology advanced exponentially. 

In 2009, Hawking takes a trip to space ( ())
In 2009, Hawking takes a trip to space ( ())

Hawking is also a hero because of his modest and humorous personality. Despite enormous hardships, he constantly downplays that limitation, and never uses it as an excuse: "I would like to be thought of as a scientist who just happens to be disabled, rather than as a disabled scientist." ("Stephen W. Hawking." ). Even with ALS, a disease that destroys nerve cells, he never uses it to make himself look smarter or better than his co-workers. Being a modest person is part of what makes him well known around the world. Also, while disabled, he isn't depressed over it: "'The only problem[with Equalizer],' said Hawking, 'is that it gives me an American accent'" (Matthew). Most people wouldn't be too happy to have a voice synthesizer instead of a normal voice. However, Hawking is willing to cope with his obstacle and live a happy life. Hawking's great personality makes him not just a scientific celebrity, but an international sensation.

Stephen Hawking possesses many heroic traits. His accomplishments are noteworthy, his spirit boundless, and his inspirational influence global. Stephen Hawking is inspirational because when he isn't thinking of the universe, or speaking to other scientists, he visits schools and shows kids how to reach their potential. Not only is he great in intelligence, he is great in human spirit; because of this, I find him worthy of the title "hero".

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Works Cited

Magrass Yale R. "Stephen Hawking." Great Lives From History: The Twentieth      Century (2008): 1. Biography Reference Center. Web. 12 Dec. 2011

Matthew, Tracey L. "Hawking, Stephen W. 1942-." Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. Web.               12 Dec. 2011

"Stephen W. Hawking." Stephen W. Hawking (Biography Today) (2010): 1. Biography             Reference Center. Web. 12 Dec. 2011

Witherbee, Amy. "Stephen Hawking." Stephen Hawking (Great Neck Publishing) (2006):             1. Biography Reference Center. Web. 12 Dec. 2011

Page created on 1/14/2012 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 1/14/2012 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Related Links

Stephen Hawking - This is Hawking's official website
Science6 - Stephen Hawking - An excellent brief summary of Hawking (not mine)
Stephen Hawking Biography - A nice biography on Mr. Hawking