On March 14, one of science's brightest starswent dark. Stephen Hawking, the world-famous British scientist, died at 76 in Cambridge, UK.
Hawking is considered to be the greatest scientist in history since Albert Einstein. He came up with the theory that the universe (宇宙) began with the Big Bang (大爆炸) and will end in black holes. He also wrote books to help common people understand the universe. His most famous book is A Brief History of Time, which has sold more than 10 million copies around the world.
Besides his scientific achievements, Hawking was also someone who had a strong will (意志) and optimistic (乐观的) attitude.
When Hawking was 21, he got a serious illness that stopped him from walking and talking. Later in life, he had to sit in a wheelchair and "speak" by using a computerized voice. But this didn't stop him from living a meaningful and colourful life. "If one is physically (身体上) disabled, one cannot afford to be psychologically (心理上) disabled as well," he once said.
Hawking travelled the globe to attend science conferences, visiting every continent. He was also a fan of pop culture and appeared on TV shows.
He celebrated his 60th birthday by going up in a hot-air balloon. When he was65, he took part in a zero-gravity (零重力) flight to experience weightlessness. He hoped to travel into space one day.
In 2013, Hawking spoke about how he felt life was unfair when he got ill at first. "But now, 50 years later, I can be quite satisfied with my life," he said.
