Stephen Hawking

British theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author (1942–2018)
Person human Q17714
Stephen Hawking
NASA · Public Domain · Wikimedia
Press Enter · cited answer in seconds

Stephen Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, in Oxford [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18], and died on March 14, 2018, in Cambridge [5][19][20][6][4][7][8][10][11][12][21][16][17][18]. A citizen of the United Kingdom [18], he was a theoretical physicist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, mathematician, pedagogue, and science writer [18][22][23]. His native language was English , and his parents were Frank Hawking and Isobel Eileen Hawking [24][24].

Hawking was married to Jane Hawking from 1965 to 1991 and to Elaine Mason from 1995 to 2006 [25]. He had three children: Lucy Hawking, Robert Hawking, and Timothy Hawking [18]. His education included University College, Oxford; Trinity Hall; St Albans School; and the University of Cambridge [26][27]. He worked at Gonville and Caius College, the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and the University of Cambridge [28][29][30][31]. His fields of study included general relativity, quantum gravity, theoretical physics, and cosmology [23]. Hawking identified with atheism [32][33] and was influenced by figures such as Dikran Tahta, Paul Dirac, Bertrand Russell, Karl Popper, Andrei Linde, and Yakov Zeldovich [34].

He received numerous awards, including the Albert Einstein Medal, Wolf Prize in Physics, Copley Medal, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44]. His notable works include *A Brief History of Time*, *Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays*, *The Universe in a Nutshell*, and *On the Shoulders of Giants* [34][45]. Hawking served as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics from 1979 to 2009 [30][31] and was a member of the Royal Society of Arts, Pontifical Academy of Sciences, American Philosophical Society, and National Academy of Sciences [46][42][47][48]. His death was caused by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , and he was buried at Westminster Abbey [49].

Stephen Hawking

Summary

Stephen Hawking is a human[1]. Born in Oxford[2], he… he passed away in Cambridge[3]. He worked as a theoretical physicist[4], cosmologist[5], astrophysicist[6], mathematician[7], and pedagogue[8]. He has Wikipedia articles in 30 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[9]

Key Facts

  • Born in Oxford[2], Stephen Hawking…
  • Born in United Kingdom[10], Stephen Hawking…
  • Stephen Hawking passed away in Cambridge[3].
  • Burial took place at Westminster Abbey[11].
  • Stephen Hawking's father was Frank Hawking[12].
  • Stephen Hawking's mother was Isobel Eileen Hawking[13].
  • Among Stephen Hawking's spouses was Jane Hawking[14].
  • Stephen Hawking was married to Elaine Mason[15].
  • A child of Stephen Hawking was Lucy Hawking[16].
  • A child of Stephen Hawking was Robert Hawking[17].
  • A child of Stephen Hawking was Timothy Hawking[18].
  • Stephen Hawking held citizenship in United Kingdom[19].
  • English was Stephen Hawking's native language[20].
  • Stephen Hawking's professions included theoretical physicist[4].
  • Stephen Hawking worked as a cosmologist[5].
  • Stephen Hawking worked as an astrophysicist[6].
  • Stephen Hawking worked as a mathematician[7].
  • Stephen Hawking's professions included pedagogue[8].
  • Stephen Hawking's professions included science writer[21].
  • Stephen Hawking's field of work was general relativity[22].
  • Stephen Hawking's field of work was quantum gravity[23].
  • Stephen Hawking's field of work was theoretical physics[24].
  • Stephen Hawking's field of work was cosmology[25].
  • Stephen Hawking's field of work was applied mathematics[26].
  • Stephen Hawking's field of work was universe[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Recorded place of birth include Oxford[2], a county town[28], in United Kingdom[29], founded in 1000[30] and United Kingdom[10], a sovereign state[31], in United Kingdom[32], founded in 1927[33]. Stephen Hawking's father was Frank Hawking[12]. His mother was Isobel Eileen Hawking[13]. English was his native language[20].

Education

Educated at University College, Oxford[34], a college of the University of Oxford[35], in United Kingdom[36], founded in 1249[37], headquartered in Oxford[38]; Trinity Hall[39], a university building[40], in United Kingdom[41], founded in 1350[42], headquartered in Cambridge[43]; St Albans School[44], an independent school[45], in United Kingdom[46], founded in 1980[47]; University of Cambridge[48], a collegiate university[49], in United Kingdom[50], founded in 1209[51], headquartered in Cambridge[52]; St Albans High School for Girls[53], an independent school[54], in United Kingdom[55], founded in 1889[56]; and Byron House School[57], an independent school[58], in United Kingdom[59], founded in 1897[60].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include theoretical physicist[4], cosmologist[5], astrophysicist[6], mathematician[7], pedagogue[8], and science writer[21]. Fields of work include general relativity[22], a scientific theory[61], founded in 1916[62]; quantum gravity[23], a branch of physics[63]; theoretical physics[24], a branch of physics[64]; cosmology[25], a branch of astronomy[65]; applied mathematics[26], an academic discipline[66]; and universe[27], an universe[67]. Employers include Gonville and Caius College[68], Faculty of Mathematics, University of Cambridge[69], Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics[70], University of Cambridge[71], and California Institute of Technology[72]. Stephen Hawking held the position of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics[73].

Recognition

Awards received include Albert Einstein Medal[74], Wolf Prize in Physics[75], Copley Medal[76], Presidential Medal of Freedom[77], Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics[78], and Companion of Honour[79].

Personal Life

Spouses include Jane Hawking[14], an autobiographer[80], b. 1944[81], of United Kingdom[82], specialised in autobiography[83] and Elaine Mason[15]. Children include Lucy Hawking[16], a journalist[84], b. 1970[85], of United Kingdom[86], specialised in journalism[87]; Robert Hawking[17]; and Timothy Hawking[18].

Death and Burial

Stephen Hawking died in Cambridge[3]. Burial took place at Westminster Abbey[11].

Works and Contributions

Things named for Stephen Hawking include Hawking radiation[88], Hartle–Hawking state[89], Penrose–Hawking singularity theorems[90], and 7672 Hawking[91].

Why It Matters

Stephen Hawking has Wikipedia articles in 30 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[9] He is known by 62 alternative names across languages and contexts.[92]

He is credited with the discovery of chronology protection conjecture[93], a hypothesis[94]. Works attributed to him include The Grand Design[95], a written work[96]; George's Secret Key to the Universe[97], a written work[98], written by Lucy Hawking[99]; A Briefer History of Time[100], a written work[101]; God Created the Integers[102], a literary work[103]; Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays[104], a written work[105]; and The Nature of Space and Time[106], a literary work[107], written by Roger Penrose[108]. Entities named for him include Hawking radiation[88], Hartle–Hawking state[89], Penrose–Hawking singularity theorems[90], and 7672 Hawking[91].

His notable doctoral advisees include Thomas Hertog[109], Raphael Bousso[110], Raymond Laflamme[111], Gary Gibbons[112], Christophe Galfard[113], and Fay Dowker[114].

FAQs

Where was Stephen Hawking born?

Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford[2].

Where did Stephen Hawking die?

Stephen Hawking passed away in Cambridge[3].

Who were Stephen Hawking's parents?

Stephen Hawking's father was Frank Hawking[12]. Stephen Hawking's mother was Isobel Eileen Hawking[13].

Who was Stephen Hawking married to?

Stephen Hawking's spouses include Jane Hawking[14] and Elaine Mason[15].

What did Stephen Hawking do for work?

Stephen Hawking worked as theoretical physicist[4], cosmologist[5], astrophysicist[6], mathematician[7], and pedagogue[8].

Where did Stephen Hawking go to school?

Stephen Hawking was educated at University College, Oxford[34], Trinity Hall[39], St Albans School[44], and University of Cambridge[48].

What awards did Stephen Hawking receive?

Honors received include Albert Einstein Medal[74], Wolf Prize in Physics[75], Copley Medal[76], and Presidential Medal of Freedom[77].

What did Stephen Hawking discover?

Stephen Hawking is credited as discoverer of chronology protection conjecture[93].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [10] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [3] . TheGuardian.com. Retrieved . theguardian.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  4. [12] . Geni.com. wikidata.org.
  5. [13] . Geni.com. wikidata.org.
  6. [14] . science.howstuffworks.com. Retrieved . science.howstuffworks.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  7. [15] . wikidata.org.
  8. [19] . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  9. [73] . news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved . news.bbc.co.uk. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  10. [16] . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  11. [17] . wikidata.org.
  12. [18] . wikidata.org.
  13. [34] . wikidata.org.
  14. [39] . Properties of expanding universes. wikidata.org.
  15. [44] . wikidata.org.
  16. [48] . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  17. [53] . wikidata.org.
  18. [57] . wikidata.org.
  19. [22] . wikidata.org.
  20. [23] . wikidata.org.
  21. [24] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  22. [25] . wikidata.org.
  23. [26] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  24. [27] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  25. [20] . wikidata.org.
  26. [4] . wikidata.org.
  27. [5] . wikidata.org.
  28. [6] . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  29. [7] . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . washingtonpost.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  30. [8] . wikidata.org.
  31. [21] . wikidata.org.
  32. [68] . damtp.cam.ac.uk. damtp.cam.ac.uk. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  33. [69] . damtp.cam.ac.uk. damtp.cam.ac.uk. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  34. [70] . thestar.com. thestar.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  35. [71] . news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved . news.bbc.co.uk. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  36. [72] . ORCID Public Data File 2023. Retrieved . pub.orcid.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  37. [11] . francetvinfo.fr. Retrieved . francetvinfo.fr. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  38. [74] . einstein-bern.ch. Retrieved . einstein-bern.ch. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  39. [75] . wolffund.org.il. Retrieved . wolffund.org.il. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  40. [76] . royalsociety.org. Retrieved . royalsociety.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  41. [77] . senate.gov. senate.gov. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  42. [78] . breakthroughprize.org. breakthroughprize.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  43. [79] . Google Books. amphilsoc.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [93] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [95] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [97] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [100] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [102] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [104] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [106] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [109] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [110] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [111] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [112] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [113] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [114] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [88] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [89] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [90] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [91] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [80] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [81] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [82] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [83] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [84] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [85] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [86] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [87] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [54] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [55] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [56] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  33. [58] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  34. [59] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  35. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  36. [61] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  37. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  38. [63] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  39. [64] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  40. [65] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  41. [66] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  42. [67] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  43. [94] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  44. [96] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  45. [98] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  46. [99] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  47. [101] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  48. [103] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  49. [105] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  50. [107] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  51. [108] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [9] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  2. [92] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Stephen Hawking. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/stephen-hawking
MLA “Stephen Hawking.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 10 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/stephen-hawking.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_stephen-hawking_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Stephen Hawking}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/stephen-hawking}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): Stephen Hawking — https://4ort.xyz/entity/stephen-hawking (retrieved 2026-04-10)

Canonical URL: https://4ort.xyz/entity/stephen-hawking · Last refreshed:

Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 2d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-07-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14611 29729
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14611]]: 29729, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/260288|batch #260288]]"
  2. 2d ago · Nyuhn · 2026-07-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14541 ['1FYLy1', '1I451X']
    Participant in Q17088931
    Member of Royal Society of Arts, Pontifical Academy of Sciences, American Philosophical Society +4
    Award received Albert Einstein Medal, Wolf Prize in Physics, Copley Medal +40
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/40849|batch #40849]]: ZGBK ID"
  3. 14d ago · Susmuffin · 2026-06-28 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Harper's tag s-w-stephen-w-hawking
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ [[Property:P13772]]: s-w-stephen-w-hawking, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/289957273|s w stephen w hawking (#289957273)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/"
  4. 16d ago · Andre Engels · 2026-06-26 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Startrek.com database id hawkingcast
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ [[Property:P7512]]: hawkingcast, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/82851076|Hawking (#82851076)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/2946|startrek.com Database]"
  5. 24d ago · Putnik · 2026-06-18 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija id stephen-william-hawking
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ [[Property:P7666]]: stephen-william-hawking"
  6. 28d ago · Pigsonthewing · 2026-06-14 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14528 29976
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14528]]: 29976, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259666|batch #259666]]"
  7. 4w ago · Jindřich Rubeš · 2026-06-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb
    Svkkl authority id p0048712-Hawking-Stephen-19422018
    George eastman museum people id 142529
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P9322]]: p0048712-Hawking-Stephen-19422018, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259493|batch #259493]]"
  8. 10w ago · ZI Jony · 2026-05-02 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb
    Semion author id (archived) 16946002
    "/* wbremoveclaims-remove:1| */ [[Property:P7671]]: 16946002, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/257208|batch #257208]]"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.