Saturday Medusa

Memory of Stephen Hawking

March 14, on the day of the pi and on the birthday of Albert Einstein, one of the most famous scientists of our time Stephen Hawking died. We loved (and we will love) him not only for his exceptional mind, but also for the stamina and sense of humor. In this letter, we have collected several films, books and articles that will allow you to understand a little better what Hawking was.

If you do not have time for anything else, just watch the biographical film "Hawking" directed by Stephen Finnigan. This is a very personal picture: he and his relatives told about the life of the scientist. We advise you to watch the film in the original (with a robotic “voice” of Hawking) - the video has built -in English subtitles; If you do not know English, there is a version with Russian dubbing.

Another film about the life of Hawking - already artistic - in 2014 brought actor Eddie Redmain “Oscar” for the best male role. The film "Universe of Stephen Hawking" can be viewed on ivi.ru , Megogo or iTunes .

“A Brief History of Time” is perhaps the main book of Hawking, it has been published in a circulation of more than 10 million copies. In a clear language, almost incomprehensible phenomena are explained in it: the time, the expanding universe, the principle of uncertainty. And, of course, black holes. If you have not read anything from the hoking, then start with it.

In 1991, three years after the release of the “Brief History of Time”, director Errol Morris made the documentary of the same name. It is based on the book, but is not limited to it - tells about the personality of Hawking and his daily life. The film version of the "Brief History of Time" in English lies in Yetube ; There you can also find a duplicated version.

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This week in almost every media, the necrologist Hawking or memories of him (for example, his former student ) came out in almost every media. In The Atlantic, you can read the text of the physicist of Sean Carollah - he had to accompany Hawking on his trips. Caroll recalls the nurse who scoured the supermarket in search of different types of tea (Hawking was a large connoisseur), as well as a crazy trip to a restaurant, whose address only Hawking knew.

The Guardian came out a short memory of one of the cases by which you can judge the wit of hoking. After speaking with a lecture recorded in advance, the scientist agreed to answer questions from the audience. The answer each time had to wait a very long time, because he scored it one letter. After one of the questions, a particularly long pause came. Hawking was jokingly recruited: "Could you repeat the question?"

In Russian: on N+1 you can read the memoirs of the doctor of the physical and mathematical sciences of Viktor Berezin about meeting Hawking and his trips to the USSR. The publication also prepared a story that Hawking entered physics textbooks. A selection of memoirs of scientists and popularizers of science was published on Medusa, and separately - the story of the academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexei Starobinsky about the significance of his works for world science:

He was not a very sociable person, highly appreciated his mind. He was one of those who are sure that everything in the world can be calculated mathematically. In this sense, he was a very confident person, boldly expressed his judgments, which were sometimes wrong - and subsequently he recognized this. He was confident in his mind and therefore confident in himself.

Medusa editors