Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking (January 8, 1942 to

March 14, 2018) was a British scientist, professor and author

who performed groundbreaking work in physics and
cosmology, and whose books helped to make science accessible
to everyone. At age 21, while studying cosmology at the
University of Cambridge, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS). Doctors figured that Hawking would
survive his condition for about two years. But Hawking was an
outlier (in many ways) during his amazing life -- he survived for
another half a century following his dire diagnosis. Part of his
life story was shown in the 2014 film The Theory of Everything.
Hawking was known as a stubbornly independent man
who scoffed at sympathy and pity for his condition. He was so
brash, in fact, that he sometimes generated friction with family,
friends and colleagues.
An important aspect of Hawking’s legacy is his attempts to
understand the implications of the extremely dense center of
black holes. Inside one, it’s theorized that we can find a
gravitational singularity – a point of infinite density.
Hawking's most famous formula was all about the entropy of
black holes, and he knew it would probably be regarded as his
highest achievement. He requested that the formula be
inscribed onto his gravestone.