Stephen Hawking was a renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist born in Oxford, England in 1942. He held the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge for over 30 years. Hawking achieved worldwide fame for his breakthroughs in theoretical physics and his bestselling books explaining complex concepts to the public. He struggled with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis for over 50 years, becoming almost completely paralyzed but continuing his scientific work using assistive technology to communicate.