A rare photograph of the renowned astrophysicist, one of the greatest scientists of the 20th-21st century Stephen Hawking - signed with his rare signature. In the mid-1970s, when Hawking's body parts became paralyzed one after another due to muscular dystrophy from which he suffered from an early age, a friend of Hawking's asked him to sign his own photograph, in his study room. Hawking's signature is considered extremely rare due to the fact that from the 1980s he did not sign with his hand due to the severe medical limitation, and in his last years to sign he used a fingerprint mixed with ink. As is well known, the number of Hawking autographs around the world is very small, especially known for his signatures on books and personal writings in the early stages of his illness.
Stephen William Hawking [1942-2018] An astrophysicist and English theorist of the greatest scientists of the 20th century and in general. Hawking was born in Oxford, England. Already in his childhood he was revealed as a talented student, but also lazy, careless and undisciplined.
When he was in sixth grade, his parents transferred him and his brother to homeschooling and hired private tutors to teach them at the family home.
After growing up, Hawking intended to continue his mathematics studies, which he particularly liked. His father, who was a doctor, tried to persuade him to study medicine, but in the end Hawking turned to studying physics.
In 1963, at the age of 22 and an undergraduate student at the University of Cambridge in England, Hawking was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, [ALS], incurable muscular dystrophy, (also known as Lou Grigg's Syndrome after a famous baseball player. Who stricken of it and died), which gradually paralyzes all bodily functions, but does not impair the proper functioning of the brain and mental capacity. The doctor who diagnosed his illness in 1963 determined that he had only two or three years left to live. Despite the fact that he was twice on the verge of death and despite his deteriorating condition over the years, contrary to all predictions Hawking was defined as a "medical miracle", and has lived for another 60 years since.
After all, Hawking's clear mind and unique genius surprised the whole world. As part of his scientific work, Hawking sought to formulate a unified theory that would combine all four known forces of nature: the electromagnetic force, the strong nuclear force, the weak nuclear force, and gravity. And several groundbreaking discoveries in the field of science are registered in his name in this field. His book "A Brief History of Time" (1988), published to fund his daughter's academic studies, was a hysterical bestseller lists for more than two years, and is considered the most popular science book of all time. The book appeared for 237 weeks on the Sunday Times bestseller lists, and by 2002 had already sold 9 million copies.
Since 1979 Hawking has headed the Mathematical Chair at Cambridge, on the place of the renowned physicist Isaac Newton who headed it in 1669. Hawking has since lost the ability to use his hands and feet, and in 1985 suffered from pneumonia and needed surgery - which prevented him from using the vocal cords.
Hawking gradually became paralyzed throughout his body, except for his eyelids and two fingers, which allowed him to operate a computer — for speaking, writing, and moving a wheelchair. The rest of his body became paralyzed, as did the muscles of his voice. Thus, with the help of a switch attached to his wheelchair, Hawking was able to move the chair and communicate with his surroundings using a sound synthesized on a computer.
Hawking did not give up on his illness and alongside his activities in the field of science he used to visit many countries in the world, including Israel. Due to the charm of his personality, and the power he radiated, despite his serious illness, Hawking was liked by millions of fans all over the world, even those who are not particularly fond of science.
Attached, a certificate of authenticity from the recipient of the signed photograph.
Size: 24x19 cm. Very good condition.
