Stephen Hawking received the Copley Medal in 2006.
The Royal Society awarded him its prestigious Copley Medal for his outstanding contribution to theoretical physics and theoretical cosmology. The medal recognised decades of work on the structure of the universe, general relativity, and the behaviour of black holes.
Hawking’s research transformed scientific understanding of black holes. His work showed that black holes are not completely black: through what is now called Hawking radiation, they can emit thermal radiation and slowly lose mass. He also made major contributions to the study of cosmological singularities and the universe’s origins.
The Copley Medal was not Hawking’s first Royal Society honour. He received the Hughes Medal in 1976, two years after becoming a Fellow. The Copley Medal is one of the Society’s oldest and most distinguished prizes, first awarded in 1731. Hawking joined a long list of recipients that includes Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Dorothy Hodgkin, and Charles Darwin, making 2006 the key date for this particular honour.