British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has done a lot of thinking about the nature of the universe. While the renowned scientist has lived most of his 71 years with a paralyzing disease, his pioneering efforts to unlock the secrets of the cosmos have revolutionized astrophysics and captured the imagination of millions.
Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking
![Portrait of a young Stephen Hawking, May 17, 1963. (Howard Grey)](https://gdb.voanews.com/c63a622b-e306-47a3-b380-5835f693aec6_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Portrait of a young Stephen Hawking, May 17, 1963. (Howard Grey)
![Stephen Hawking visits the London Science Museum’s exhibit on his life and work. (Sarah Lee)](https://gdb.voanews.com/f78a8816-cea0-4ddd-8fd9-92437202a007_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Stephen Hawking visits the London Science Museum’s exhibit on his life and work. (Sarah Lee)
![Some of the Hawking memorabilia on display at London’s Science Museum exhibition marking the scientist’s 70th birthday. (Science Museum PA)](https://gdb.voanews.com/2ea000b6-1798-442e-96db-f45f6a646e6c_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Some of the Hawking memorabilia on display at London’s Science Museum exhibition marking the scientist’s 70th birthday. (Science Museum PA)
![The model built for Hawking in the early 1970s to show the deep gravitational “well” that black holes create in the fabric of space-time, from which not even light can escape. (Whipple Museum of the History of Science)](https://gdb.voanews.com/a06a13b6-0d67-4760-b24b-e1dfcaea575e_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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The model built for Hawking in the early 1970s to show the deep gravitational “well” that black holes create in the fabric of space-time, from which not even light can escape. (Whipple Museum of the History of Science)