As one of the most talked-about figures, Stephen Hawking has built a significant fortune. In this article, we dive deep into the assets and career highlights.
What was Stephen Hawking's net worth?
Stephen Hawking was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who had a net worth of $20 million at the time of his death. He was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge at the time of his death. He was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge between 1979 and 2009. Stephen Hawking died on March 13, 2018, at the age of 76.
Early Life
Stephen William Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, in Oxford, United Kingdom, to Frank (1905–1986) and Isobel Eileen Hawking (née Walker; 1915–2013). Hawking started his education at London's Byron House School. He didn't learn how to read while at that school, and much later, he said the school's progressive methods were to blame. When he was eight, he attended St. Albans High School for Girls for a handful of months. At the time, young boys were allowed to enroll. Hawking passed his 11+ exams a year early and attended St. Albans School. His family valued education. His St. Alban's math teacher helped young Hawking build a computer out of an old telephone switchboard, clock parts, and various other items.
Hawking had an innate talent for science and math and chose to major in mathematics in college. He was awarded a scholarship to Oxford in 1959. He began his university studies in the fall of 1959 at the age of 17. As a second and third-year student, Hawking made a concerted effort to fit in and be "one of the boys." He joined the boat club and coxed a rowing crew.
Hawking graduated with honors with a degree in physics. After a trip to Iran with a friend, he began his graduate work at Cambridge in the fall of 1962. His first year as a Ph.D. student was rough. He didn't get the advisor he wanted. He had been hoping for noted astronomer Fred Hoyle but was assigned Dennis Schiama, a founder of modern cosmology. At the time that Hawking started his graduate work, there was a lot of new debate in physics about the creation of the universe. They were called the Big Bang and Steady State theories. Hawking applied the same thinking–the idea of a black hole–to the entire universe and wrote his graduate thesis on the subject. In 1966, Hawking earned his Ph.D. in applied mathematics and theoretical physics with a specialty in general relativity and cosmology. His essay "Singularities and the Geometry of Space-Time" won the Adams Prize in March 1966. The Adams Prize is one of the most prestigious prizes awarded by Cambridge annually to a UK-based mathematician for distinguished research in the Mathematical Sciences.
Career
Hawking found success with several books on popular science in which he discusses his theories and cosmology in general. His book "A Brief History of Time" was on the bestseller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. Hawking was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.
Ultimately, Stephen Hawking's financial journey is a testament to their success.
Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.
