History Creator / StephenHawking

Hawking passed away on the 14th of March, 2018 at the age of 76. For the record, this means he lived 53 years past his initial diagnosis.

* {{Determinator}}: At 21, he was told he had (at most) two-and-a-half years left to live. Ordinary people would consider suicide when diagnosed with an AndIMustScream-causing disease that [[DespairEventHorizon cannot be cured]]. He lived to age ''76'', which among other things forced a mandatory retirement from his post at Cambridge University (the same position once held by UsefulNotes/IsaacNewton) because the University forbids anyone older than 67 from holding it. At the age of 70, he participated in (and helped narrate) the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

* HandicappedBadass: Anyone who defies an AndIMustScream condition and becomes a significant figure of pop culture has to count as one.
* HopeSproutsEternal: 76 years with ALS weren't enough to break him down.

* AWizardDidIt: Subverted. God did not create the Universe, according to Hawking. Or more specifically, He may have, but He didn't ''need'' to, as it can be explained by gravity and quantum mechanics. His theory was challenged (along with his theory on the existence of black holes) but he remained confident about the possibility.

In fact, Hawking was one of the many celebrities challenged to participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge of 2015- which he did so, but due to a then-recent bout of pneumonia he could not safely have ice water dumped on him. His children took his place in the challenge.

Hawking passed away on the 14th of March, 2018 at the age of 76.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Asked how he had fathered children despite his condition, he replied that Lou Gehrig's Disease only affects voluntary muscles.[[note]]In case you are wondering, ALS does not affect nerves which control the reproductive system, so getting and maintaining an erection is not a problem nor is producing sperm and fathering children. Secondly, and much more importantly, ALS is a progressive disease.It gets worse over the years. A person does not start as healthy and end up paralyzed the next day when afflicted. Neither did Hawking. Hawking's first two children were born when he was still in the early stages of the disease, he was walking and functioning more or less normally at the time. His third was born when he was wheelchair bound, but still much more ambulatory and mobile than he was later in life.[[/note]]

* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: His voice synthesizer caused him to be mistaken for an American. He would have preferred to replace it with a synthesizer with a British accent, but it's became so synonymous with himself that he couldn't.

--> ''"It is widely accepted in the field, that a key factor of achieving World Cup champions status is winning matches."''

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Asked how he had fathered children despite his condition, he replied that Lou Gehrig's Disease only affects voluntary muscles.[[note]]In case you are wondering, ALS does not affect nerves which control the reproductive system, so getting and maintaining an erection is not a problem nor is producing sperm and fathering children. Secondly, and much more importantly, ALS is a progressive disease.It gets worse over the years. A person does not start as healthy and end up paralyzed the next day when afflicted. Neither did Hawking. Hawking's first two children were born when he was still in the early stages of the disease, he was walking and functioning more or less normally at the time. His third was born when he was wheelchair bound, but still much more ambulatory and mobile than he is now.[[/note]]

* SyntheticVoiceActor: A famous example, and probably the TropeCodifier for many other examples. Notably, he appeared AsHimself on several popular shows using his distinctive MachineMonotone voice.
* SignificantBirthDate: Born three hundred years to the day after the death of Galileo. And inverted with his date of death, which happened to be Albert Einstein's birthday. Which, coincidentally, is also the date Karl Marx died.

Hawking was also quite famous for his sense of humor. He appeared several times on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''[[note]]Although Hawking stated that he enjoyed guest-starring on ''The Simpsons'', he also hated the attention it got him as most people now knew Hawking from his appearance on the show, rather than his intellectual pursuits.[[/note]], ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', and ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' AsHimself, each time bordering on the line of AdamWesting. (And yes, that's him reciting one of the "Boom-de-yadas" in the Creator/DiscoveryChannel's "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC1yLD7R0ZU I Love The Whole World]]" promo.) {{Expy}}s of him appeared in parody form (''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'') and in CharlieAndTheChocolateParody form (''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' and ''WesternAnimation/SausageParty''). He appeared as a character, but not on camera (perhaps he couldn't make the shoot fit his schedule, or just didn't like the show), in an episode of ''Series/StargateAtlantis''. Finally, he was the only person to appear in any ''Franchise/StarTrek'' series AsHimself (obviously, as a holodeck recreation of himself). Hawking was also known to be a fan of ''Series/RedDwarf''. He also appeared in ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'', where he and Crocker knew each other from their days as college students. And while he was not involved in the production of the nerdcore rapper M.C. Hawking (which uses a VERY similar text-to-speech voice program, albeit not identical), he gave his full approval of the parody act.

* SignificantBirthDate: Born three hundred years to the day after the death of Galileo. And inverted with his date of death, which happened to be Albert Einstein's birthday.

Stephen William Hawking [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA]] (8 January 1942 - 14 March 2018) was an English theoretical astrophysicist known for his world-recognized work on black holes, theoretical cosmology, and quantum gravity. The ability to do most of this work entirely in his head led him to be generally recognized as the most brilliant scientist since UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein (Hawking himself disputed that title, however, arguing himself to be, at best, the greatest scientist since UsefulNotes/RichardFeynman, whom he considered the best since Einstein). The reason this was necessary is that he had been left almost paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair, [[MachineMonotone "speaking" through a specially-designed computer]] (the voice of which is also very well-known), due to his having motor neuron disease (MND). This is the collective name for a group of five related degenerative neural disorders, of which best-known to the general public is ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), better known to Americans as Lou Gehrig's disease. It's not definitively known which form of MND he had, although it was believed he had ALS. (He was rather famous for his affliction, as well: if it was ALS, it was the most protracted case ever recorded -- it didn't progress the way ALS normally did, which stymied a definitive diagnosis, which can only be confirmed by post-mortem dissection of the brain.)

Stephen William Hawking [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA]] (8 January 1942 - 14 March 2018) was an English theoretical astrophysicist known for his world-recognized work on black holes, theoretical cosmology, and quantum gravity. The ability to do most of this work entirely in his head led him to be generally recognized as the most brilliant scientist since UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein (Hawking himself disputed that title, however, arguing himself to be, at best, the greatest scientist since UsefulNotes/RichardFeynman, whom he considered the best since Einstein). The reason this was necessary is that he had been left almost paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair, [[MachineMonotone "speaking" through a specially-designed computer]] (the voice of which is also very well-known), due to his having motor neuron disease (MND). This is the collective name for a group of five related degenerative neural disorders, of which best-known to the general public is ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), better known to Americans as Lou Gehrig's disease. It's not definitively known which form of MND he had, although it was believed he had ALS. (He was rather famous for his affliction, as well: if it was ALS, it would be the most protracted case ever recorded -- it didn't progress the way ALS normally did, which stymied a definitive diagnosis, which can only be confirmed by post-mortem dissection of the brain.)

* SignificantBirthDate: Born three hundred years to the day after the death of Galileo.

Hawking passed away on the 13th of March, 2018 at the age of 76.

Stephen William Hawking [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA]] (8 January 1942 - 13 March 2018) was an English theoretical astrophysicist known for his world-recognized work on black holes, theoretical cosmology, and quantum gravity. The ability to do most of this work entirely in his head led him to be generally recognized as the most brilliant scientist since UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein (Hawking himself disputed that title, however, arguing himself to be, at best, the greatest scientist since UsefulNotes/RichardFeynman, whom he considered the best since Einstein). The reason this was necessary is that he had been left almost paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair, [[MachineMonotone "speaking" through a specially-designed computer]] (the voice of which is also very well-known), due to his having motor neuron disease (MND). This is the collective name for a group of five related degenerative neural disorders, of which best-known to the general public is ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), better known to Americans as Lou Gehrig's disease. It's not definitively known which form of MND he had, although it was believed he had ALS. (He was rather famous for his affliction, as well: if it was ALS, it would be the most protracted case ever recorded -- it didn't progress the way ALS normally did, which stymied a definitive diagnosis, which can only be confirmed by post-mortem dissection of the brain.)

Stephen William Hawking [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA]] (8 January 1942 - 13 March 2018) was an English theoretical astrophysicist. In his time he has done world-recognized work on black holes, theoretical cosmology, and quantum gravity. The ability to do most of this work entirely in his head has led him to be generally recognized as the most brilliant scientist since UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein (Hawking himself disputes that title, however, arguing himself to be, at best, the greatest scientist since UsefulNotes/RichardFeynman, whom he considers the best since Einstein). The reason this is necessary is that he has been left almost paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair, [[MachineMonotone "speaking" through a specially-designed computer]] (the voice of which is also very well-known), due to his having motor neuron disease (MND). This is the collective name for a group of five related degenerative neural disorders, of which best-known to the general public is ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), better known to Americans as Lou Gehrig's disease. It's not definitively known which form of MND he has, although it's thought that he has ALS. (He is rather famous for his affliction, as well: if it is ALS, it would be the most protracted case ever recorded -- it hasn't progressed the way ALS normally does, which has stymied a definitive diagnosis, which can only be confirmed by post-mortem dissection of the brain.)

Hawking is also quite famous for his sense of humor. He has appeared several times on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''[[note]]Although Hawking has stated that he enjoyed guest-starring on ''The Simpsons'', he also hates the attention it got him as most people now know Hawking from his appearance on the show, rather than his intellectual pursuits.[[/note]], ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', and ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' AsHimself, each time bordering on the line of AdamWesting. (And yes, that's him reciting one of the "Boom-de-yadas" in the Creator/DiscoveryChannel's "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC1yLD7R0ZU I Love The Whole World]]" promo.) {{Expy}}s of him have appeared in parody form (''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'') and in CharlieAndTheChocolateParody form (''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' and ''WesternAnimation/SausageParty''). He appears as a character, but not on camera (perhaps he couldn't make the shoot fit his schedule, or just didn't like the show), in an episode of ''Series/StargateAtlantis''. Finally, he's the only person to appear in any ''Franchise/StarTrek'' series AsHimself (obviously, as a holodeck recreation of himself). Hawking is also known to be a fan of ''Series/RedDwarf''. He also appeared in ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'', where he and Crocker knew each other from their days as college students. And while he is not involved in the production of the nerdcore rapper M.C. Hawking (which uses a VERY similar text-to-speech voice program, albeit not identical), he has given his full approval of the parody act.

[[WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory He's got 12 inch rims on his chair, that's how he rolls, y'all.]] [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer No, he actually]] ''[[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer does]]''. [[AluminumChristmasTrees You thought they were joking?]]

* AWizardDidIt: Subverted. God did not create the Universe, according to Hawking. Or more specifically, He may have, but He didn't ''need'' to, as it can be explained by gravity and quantum mechanics. His theory has since been challenged (along with his theory on the existence of black holes) but he remains confident about the possibility.
* AdamWesting: Anytime he appears in animated form, expect his wheelchair to be a cross between WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget and a [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Transformer]].

* TheArtifact: He's used the same voice synthesizer for decades, and it's way out of date. It would be easy for him to attain a more advanced one, or even just one that actually has an English accent, but he realizes that the particular voice he's had all these years is an iconic part of his public image, so he hasn't bothered to upgrade.

* CoolOldGuy: 74 years old and counting, and still doing that science thing.
* {{Determinator}}: At 21, he was told he had (at most) two-and-a-half years left to live. Ordinary people would consider suicide when diagnosed with an AndIMustScream-causing disease that [[DespairEventHorizon cannot be cured]]. He's lived long enough to have to take a mandatory retirement from his post at Cambridge University (the same position once held by UsefulNotes/IsaacNewton) because the University forbids anyone older than 67 from holding it. At the age of 70, he participated in (and helped narrate) the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. He recently turned ''seventy-two'' with a positive attitude.

* DisneyOwnsThisTrope: His synthetic voice is trademarked, to the point that once he saw ''Film/TheTheoryOfEverything'', [[ApprovalOfGod his approval]] led to a similar computerized speech being replaced by the real deal.

* HopeSproutsEternal: Despite his horrible disease he still manages to be optimistic.
* ImprobablyHighIQ: While Hawking most likely has one of the world's highest [=IQs=], he neither knows nor cares what it is, calling everyone who boast about theirs losers.
* MachineMonotone: Famously so. As he is unable to speak on his own he requires a special computer to assist him.
* MistakenNationality: Due to his American computer voice and frequent appearances in American TV shows some people are unaware that he was actually born in the United Kingdom.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: He's been the subject of several {{Expy}} characters.
* OneOfUs: A huge fan of ''Franchise/StarTrek'', ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' and ''Series/RedDwarf'', all of which he's appeared in [[AdamWesting as himself.]] Also of ''Series/DoctorWho'', even appearing in the special where Creator/PeterCapaldi was introduced as the new Doctor. And scored a cameo in 2014 Creator/MontyPython reunion show, where he stops Brian Cox from critiquing [[Film/MontyPythonsTheMeaningOfLife The Galaxy Song]] ("I feel you are being pedantic.") and rolls away reciting the lyrics. He has also given his approval to M.C. Hawking, a parody gangsta rap album created by use of a vocal synthesizer that sounds quite similar to his own.
* RoboSpeak: He speaks using a MachineMonotone computer, what did you expect?
* SelfDeprecation: He seems to take his paralysis with good humor and even makes jokes about it. Mentioning that his professorial chair at Cambridge was formerly held by UsefulNotes/IsaacNewton, he remarked, "They say it's Newton's chair, but obviously it's been changed." Also, when giving a speech at Stanford, he told the audience that he hoped they could understand his British accent.
* SyntheticVoiceActor: A famous example, and probably the TropeCodifier for many other examples. Notably, he has appeared AsHimself on several popular shows using his distinctive MachineMonotone voice.

* TimeTravel: His long-standing theory is that, outside of TimeDilation effects, time-travel is impossible for various reasons.

* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: His voice synthesizer has caused him to be mistaken for an American. He has said he would like to replace it with a synthesizer with a British accent, but it's become so synonymous with himself that he knows he can't.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Asked how he had fathered children despite his condition, he replied that Lou Gehrig's Disease only affects voluntary muscles.[[note]]In case you are wondering, ALS does not affect nerves which control the reproductive system, so getting and maintaining an erection is not a problem nor is producing sperm and fathering children. Secondly, and much more importantly, ALS is a progressive disease.It gets worse over the years. A person does not start as healthy and end up paralyzed the next day when afflicted. Niether did Hawkings. Hawkings first two children were born when he was still in the early stages of the disease, he was walking and functioning more or less normally at the time. His third was born when he was wheelchair bound, but still much more ambulatory and mobile than he is now.[[/note]]

Born 8 January 1942 in Oxford, Stephen William Hawking, [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA]], was a theoretical astrophysicist. In his time he has done world-recognized work on black holes, theoretical cosmology, and quantum gravity. The ability to do most of this work entirely in his head has led him to be generally recognized as the most brilliant scientist since UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein (Hawking himself disputes that title, however, arguing himself to be, at best, the greatest scientist since UsefulNotes/RichardFeynman, whom he considers the best since Einstein). The reason this is necessary is that he has been left almost paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair, [[MachineMonotone "speaking" through a specially-designed computer]] (the voice of which is also very well-known), due to his having motor neuron disease (MND). This is the collective name for a group of five related degenerative neural disorders, of which best-known to the general public is ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), better known to Americans as Lou Gehrig's disease. It's not definitively known which form of MND he has, although it's thought that he has ALS. (He is rather famous for his affliction, as well: if it is ALS, it would be the most protracted case ever recorded -- it hasn't progressed the way ALS normally does, which has stymied a definitive diagnosis, which can only be confirmed by post-mortem dissection of the brain.)

Born 8 January 1942 in Oxford, Stephen William Hawking, [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA]], is a theoretical astrophysicist. In his time he has done world-recognized work on black holes, theoretical cosmology, and quantum gravity. The ability to do most of this work entirely in his head has led him to be generally recognized as the most brilliant scientist since UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein (Hawking himself disputes that title, however, arguing himself to be, at best, the greatest scientist since UsefulNotes/RichardFeynman, whom he considers the best since Einstein). The reason this is necessary is that he has been left almost paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair, [[MachineMonotone "speaking" through a specially-designed computer]] (the voice of which is also very well-known), due to his having motor neuron disease (MND). This is the collective name for a group of five related degenerative neural disorders, of which best-known to the general public is ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), better known to Americans as Lou Gehrig's disease. It's not definitively known which form of MND he has, although it's thought that he has ALS. (He is rather famous for his affliction, as well: if it is ALS, it would be the most protracted case ever recorded -- it hasn't progressed the way ALS normally does, which has stymied a definitive diagnosis, which can only be confirmed by post-mortem dissection of the brain.)

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Asked how he had fathered children despite his condition, he replied that Lou Gehrig's Disease only affects voluntary muscles.[[note]]In case you are wondering, ALS does not affect nerves which control the reproductive system, so getting and maintaining an erection is not a problem nor is producing sperm and fathering children. Secondly, and much more importantly, ALS is a progressive disease.It gets worse over the years. A person does not start as healthy and end up paralsyed the next day when afflicted. Niether did Hawkings. Hawkings first two children were born when he was still in the early stages of the disease, he was walking and fucntioning more or less normally at the time. His third was born when he was wheelchair bound, but still much more ambulatory and mobile than he is now.[[/note]]

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Asked how he had fathered children despite his condition, he replied that Lou Gehrig's Disease only affects voluntary muscles.[[note]]In case you are wondering, ALS does not affect nerves which control the reproductive system, so getting and maintaining an erection is not a problem nor is producing sperm and fathering children. Secondly, and much more importantly, ALS is a progressive disease.It gets worse over the years. A person does start as healthy and end up paralsyed the next day. Hawkings first two children were born when he was still in the early stages of the disease, he was walking and fucntioning more or less normally at the time. His third was born when he was wheelchair bound, but still much more ambulatory and mobile than he is now.[[/note]]

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Asked how he had fathered children despite his condition, he replied that Lou Gehrig's Disease only affects voluntary muscles.

[[IReadThatAs Not to be confused with]] Creator/StephenKing.

* OneOfUs: The man appeared on StarTrek, Futurama, the Simpsons and Series/TheBigBangTheory, and they didn't have to bribe him for that.
** Stephen from ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' is a wheelchair-bound genius who helps the heroes.
** Brian's professor in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' is another ersatz version of Hawking, down to the synthesizer.

* AWizardDidIt: Subverted. God did not create the Universe, according to Hawking. Or more specifically, He may have, but He didn't ''need'' to, as it can be explained by gravity and quantum mechanics.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed:

* OneOfUs: The man appeared on StarTrek, Futurama, the Simpsons and TheBigBangTheory, and they didn't have to bribe him for that.

* RoboSpeak: He speaks using a MachineMonotone computer, what did you expect?

* RoboSpeak: He speaks using a computer, what did you expect?