Stephen Hawking

By Cath Senker

This series will tell the amazing stories of inspiring people who have made a difference and changed the world, despite the odds stacked against them. They will detail the characters' humble origins, the obstacles standing in their way that had to be overcome, and discuss the successes and achievements for which they are lauded today. This book tells the story of Stephen Hawking, the brilliant scientist who made great contributions to the study of the origin of the universe despite suffering from motor neurone disease for most of his life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Dec 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9781484635452

Cath Senker

Cath Senker has over twenty years' experience in children's educational publishing and has written around 100 books for children for a range of publishers. Her books include highly regarded titles on Anne Frank, the Black Death and the Vietnam War, books on religions and the conflict between North and South Korea, and forthcoming titles on Self-Harm and Relationships. She lives the green lifestyle and has undertaken voluntary work for a range of organizations.

Book preview

Contents

Who Is Stephen Hawking?

What Was Stephen Hawking's Childhood Like?

How Did Stephen Hawking Become a Professional Scientist?

How Did Stephen Hawking’s Career Take Off?

How Did Stephen Hawking Attract Global Attention?

What Has Stephen Hawking Achieved?

How Is Stephen Hawking’s Work Continued Today?

Timeline

Glossary

Find Out More

Index

Some words are shown in bold, like this. You can find out what they mean by looking in the glossary

Who Is Stephen Hawking?

Stephen Hawking greets the audience at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympics.

It is the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, England. Stephen Hawking, probably the most famous living scientist, wheels onto the stage. Watched by millions of viewers around the globe, he launches the event, to the ecstatic cheers of the crowd.

Hawking is known worldwide for his great contribution to cosmology—the scientific study of the origin of the universe. Just as importantly, he has encouraged the general public to take an interest in science.

Success against the odds

Hawking’s success as a scientist—and his very survival—are against all the odds. When he was 21, he was told he had two years to live. Yet 50 years later, he still goes to work every day at Cambridge University, in England, helping PhD students, discussing ideas with staff and students, and working on his own theories. Sometimes he is interrupted by a visit from a famous person, such as former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, one of the first men on the Moon.

Stephen Hawking was a talented student at Oxford University, a top university. He continued his studies at Cambridge University and became a cosmologist. Hawking made important discoveries about black holes in space and developed a new way of working in cosmology.

Hawking’s biographers, Michael White and John Gribbin, have written that:

He has achieved astounding success by awakening a skeptical [doubtful] public and an even more skeptical media to the beauty of science, a subject at the heart of our society and the future of civilization.

What Was Stephen Hawking’s Childhood Like?

Stephen was the