QUEST FOR ATHEORY QF EVERYTHING

BY Kitty Gail Ferguson

Stephen Hawking was born on January 8,

1942, in Oxford, England. At an early age,
Hawking showeda passion for science and
the sky. At age 21,while studying
cosmology at the University of Cambridge,
he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis. Despite his physical disabilities,
he has done ground-breaking work in
physics and cosmology. His several books
have helped to make science accessible to
everyone.

Born to Frank and Isabel Hawking, he had

an ordinary childhood. But by the time he
was eight he was seriously thinking about
becoming a scientist. In 1959, at the age of
seventeen, Hawking went to Oxford to
study natural science and to specialize in
physics. Later he took a Ph.D from
Cambridge specializing in theoretical
physics. At the age of twenty-one he
contracted a rare disease, "amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis". It was a terrible disease.
There was no known cure for this. In 1965,
he got married to Jane Jane liked his
intelligent, eccentric and rather arrogant
nature. Besides he was interesting and
witty. Asa student in Cambridge, Hawking
used to ask unexpected and penetrating
questions to the most distinguished
scientists.. Hisreputation as a 'genius',
'another Einstein' began in his Cambridge
days. He started writing a book about the
universe in 1980. Before completing that
book, he had to undergo a tracheotomy
operation. After this operation he could not
make any vocal sound. Now he continues
his work with the help of a computer
programme called Equalizer. This
programme allowed Hawking to select
words from the screen. In 1988 he published
his work, "A Brief History of Time". This
book contains a number of paradoxes and
unique ideas.