Stephen Hawking was born in 1942 in England and showed early promise as a bright student interested in physics, despite his father's hopes that he would study medicine. At age 21 Hawking was diagnosed with motor neuron disease and given just a few years to live. However, he refused to give up and instead dedicated himself to theoretical physics, making major contributions to the understanding of black holes and the origin of the universe. Hawking authored several popular science books and lived far beyond his initial prognosis, passing away in 2018 at the age of 76. He proved that intellectual ability is not defined by physical ability and became one of the most influential scientists since Einstein.