Which renowned physicist and author died on March 14, 2018?

Stephen Hawking was the renowned physicist and author who died on March 14, 2018. He was 76 and died at his home in Cambridge, England, after decades of living with motor neurone disease.

Hawking transformed public understanding of cosmology and black holes. His research showed that black holes can emit thermal radiation, now called Hawking radiation, linking general relativity, quantum theory, and thermodynamics.

He also became one of science’s best-known writers. His 1988 book A Brief History of Time explained the origins of the universe and the nature of time for a general audience, selling millions of copies. Despite severe physical disability and the loss of his natural speech, he continued working through a computerized speech-generating system.

A common mix-up is confusing Hawking with Albert Einstein, Carl Sagan, or Richard Dawkins. All were famous science communicators, but Hawking is the one associated with this March 14, 2018, death date.