Thesis:

Stephen Hawking is an astrophysicist who has a physical disability but he has

overcome it and has made many contributions to the world.

Education

Note Card #4 Education

Quotes: "At the age of eleven, Stephen went to St. Albans School and then on to
University College, Oxford"
Comment: Stephen Hawking had an abundant amount of education when he was
growing up. Stephen Hawking first went to St. Albans School and then Oxford.
Source: "About Stephen - Stephen Hawking." About Stephen - Stephen Hawking.
N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
Tags: Education
Note Card #5 Education
Quotes: "Stephen wanted to study Mathematics, although his father would have
preferred medicine. Mathematics was not available at University College, so he
pursued Physics instead."
Comment: Stephen Hawking wanted to study math but Oxford didn't offer it so he
chose his second choice, Physics. Even when he didn't get what he wanted, he took
advantage of his talents and excelled in his education.
Source: "About Stephen - Stephen Hawking." About Stephen - Stephen Hawking.
N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
Tags: Education
Note Card #6 Education
Quotes: "After three years and not very much work, he was awarded a first class
honours degree in Natural Science."
Comment: Stephen Hawking is a genius who had an easy time in college. Education
is one part of life that Stephen Hawking excelled at.

Source: "About Stephen - Stephen Hawking." About Stephen - Stephen Hawking.

N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
Tags: Education
Adversity

Note card #1 Physical Illness

Quotes: "Not long after beginning graduate study, Hawking began to notice some
troubling physical symptoms--slurred speech and frequent stumbling."
Comment: This proves that Stephen Hawking developed his physical illness during
the late stages of his educational career. He had a pretty normal early life.
Source: "Stephen Hawking." Newsmakers (1990): n. pag. Gale Biography in Context.
Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
Tags: Physical Illness
Note card #2 Physical Illness
Quotes: "His problem was diagnosed as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis--known to
Americans as "Lou Gehrig's Disease"--a degenerative illness of the muscles and
central nervous system that is eventually fatal."
Comment: This shows that he had a very serious physical illness that caused
adversity in his life. He overcame his adversity later in his life.
Source: "Stephen Hawking." Newsmakers (1990): n. pag. Gale Biography in Context.
Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
Tags: Physical Illness
Note card #3
Quotes: "For the first two years, the disease progressed rapidly, and some sources
reported that he lost interest in his work, reverting instead to reading science fiction
and drinking, although Hawking denied this story in Playboy."
Comment: During the first couple of years experiencing this illness, he was
distracted because of this illness and developed a drinking problem. His illness
made his life hard.
Source: "Stephen Hawking." Newsmakers (1990): n. pag. Gale Biography in Context.
Web. 19 Mar. 2015.

Tags: Physical Illness

Note Card #9 Adversity
Quotes: "Stephen Hawking's birth came at an inopportune time for his parents, who
didn't have much money."
Comment: When Stephen William Hawking was born, his parents were on the verge
of being poor. Life must have been tough if he was born into a poor family.
Source: "Stephen Hawking Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web.
26 Mar. 2015.
Tags: Adversity
Contributions

Note Card #7
Quotes: "Beginning with his doctoral dissertation, much of the work of Hawking's life
has centered on the phenomenon of the "black hole."
Comment: Stephen Hawking has spent most of his career trying working with the
phenomenon of the "black hole." Stephen Hawking has made many contributions in
that field.
Source: "Stephen Hawking." Newsmakers (1990): n. pag. Gale Biography in Context.
Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
Note Card #8
Quotes: "Thus, Hawking and Penrose proved that--if the laws of general relativity
could be trusted--time did have a beginning, and the Big Bang was a sort of black
hole in reverse."
Comment: Roger Penrose, a Cambridge mathematician, had already shown that a
singularity was not just a mathematical artifact but could, according to the rules of
general relativity, actually occur if the right physical conditions prevailed. Hawking
and Penrose teamed up to prove that time did have a beginning, and the Big Bang
was like a black hole in reverse.
Note Card #10 Contributions
Quotes: "His forays into popular culture have included guest appearances on The
Simpsons, Star Trek: The Next Generation, a comedy spoof with comedian Jim
Carrey on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and even a recorded voice-over on the
Pink Floyd song "Keep Talking."'

Comment: One of Stephen Hawking's many contributions was towards

entertainment. Stephen Hawking had many different ways of contributing to the
lives of others.
Source: "Stephen Hawking Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web.
26 Mar. 2015.