Stephen Hawking first appeared on the BBC in the 1977 documentary The Key to the Universe: The Search for the Laws of Creation | BBC Archive

In 1963, at the age of 21, Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with a degenerative nerve disorder called ALS and given a life expectancy of 2 years to live. In spite of it all, he continued to live a full life, marry, have children, and become the world’s leading authority on cosmology. His theories on black holes, quantum theory, and the origin of the Universe have changed physics forever. Stephen’s journey reminds us that persistence in the face of adversity is the definition of success. Rest in pea