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Handcrafted. Custom. Catamarans.

NEW MODEL - The perfect family boat is here. Doesn’t matter if you like pulling up to sandbar parties, cruising around a lake, or nosing up on an island, the Harpoon will provide everyone with a fun time on the water.

NEW MODEL - This shallow draft Bay Boat will get you everywhere you want to go. With an in-class leading amount of deck space, there is more than enough room to carry duck decoys, beach bags, and comfortably enjoy the water with your whole crew.

22SF Catamaran

A popular model throughout the Southeast, these smooth-riding catamarans are equally capable of taking the family for a joy ride or cutting through some chop in the ICW.

25SF Catamaran

Available with single or twin motors, the 25SF can make getting offshore a breeze. A spacious boat that is easy to maneuver and capable of going anywhere on the water.

29SF Catamaran

This catamaran can be customized for any boater. If you prefer a sunset cruise in the river, or you want to spend all day bringing in Wahoo, this cat can be customized for whatever you desire.

32SF Catamaran

Used by fishermen and fire departments in the Southeast, our 32’ catamaran gives you plenty of space for all your charter guests.

35SF Catamaran

Our largest boat gives you the size and range for any type of fishing, anywhere you want to go. Customize this with an upper station and a huge coffin box.

Aluminum Hulls

At twice the strength of fiberglass, our lifetime guaranteed aluminum hulls will provide you with a supremely maneuverable boat that can travel faster and with less draft, all while providing a safe boating experience.

Catamaran Design

Catamaran hulls provide a softer, more stable ride with exceptional efficiency all while providing optimal deck space due to wider beams. The lower center of gravity will give you a ride with the least impact.

2 Decades of Experience

A track record of over two decades of building custom aluminum boats ensures that you will be getting the boat you deserve. Boats built by artisans dedicated to delivering the perfect vessel for you.

Built by Artisans

The Cape Fear Cats team of artisans is invested in seeing your boat all the way through from design to delivery. Our in-house welders, fabricators, riggers, and painters are able to build your boat 100% on site.

We craft all of our 100% aluminum boats to your specific design. Our commercial strength hulls will provide you a top of the line boating and fishing experience.

Built for a lifetime

Aluminum boats built with every detail engineered, designed, and executed with dedication. ACI Boats builds welded aluminum catamarans and monohulls for recreational and commercial use. Our boats are built to last a lifetime.  

We are founded on generations of boat building experience. ACI Boats is owned and operated by Cory Armstrong, and backed by a team of skilled craftsmen and women. When choosing a boat builder, quality and trust is everything– ACI boats delivers with a safe, and comfortable vessel that you can rely on.

Pybus Point Lodge is proud to announce the official launching of two brand new, catamaran style, fishing and touring boats from ACI Boats. This is the second time we’ve had the pleasure of working with ACI and once again, they exceeded our expectations. Since we run a premium fishing and adventure lodge, we don’t just have to worry about our boats being safe and functional–we also have to make sure that our boats have the style and comfort that our guests expect.

ACI Boats is thrilled to announce the official award of a $3 million dollar contract with American Samoa’s Departmant of Commerce for four “Super Alia” commercial fishing vessels. All four boats will be manufactured at ACI Boats’ facility in Port Townsend, WA. The vessels themselves will be 38’x14’ semi-displacement catamarans, designed by ACI Boats and Coastwise Marine Design. The first of the four vessels, to be completed in Fall/Winter 2022, will be used as a training platform for boat owners, captains, and deckhands. The following three boats, will be completed over the course of 18 months and will then be available for lease by the American Samoa Dept. of Commerce, intended to support the growth and safety of the local fishing fleet.

ACI Boats launches it’s first CatLander in it’s line of CatLander landing crafts. Built for the Jamestown Sklallam tribe in Washington State, the CatLander7500 will be used as a spill response support vessel by the tribe.

• Articles and Guides

Best Catamaran Fishing Boat Brands

20th oct 2023 by lenny rudow.

Choosing the best catamaran fishing boats is no easy task, because in this day and age, you have plenty to choose from. This wasn’t always the case, but in recent years more and more power catamaran fishing boats have been hitting the market. The reasons are simple: Whether you’re looking at an offshore fishing catamaran, inshore catamaran fishing boats, or small catamaran fishing boats, foot-for-foot they tend to run smoother and more efficiently than their monohull brethren. While all the types of fishing boats are different and each has its own advantages and drawbacks, as a general rule, if you want to get to the fish fast in rough seas, nothing is better than a powercat for the job.

It’s tough to try to sort through various builders and nail down the best fishing boat brands , and the increase in the number of catamaran fishing boat manufacturers means choosing the top picks in this genre is as tough as any other. So, which brands are best? Here are our top picks in some of the most important categories and why we think they make the grade.

Catamaran Center Console Boat Brands

This will be a very short section, because virtually all of the catamaran sport fishing boats being built today are center consoles. Yes, some manufacturers offer pilothouse models or cuddy cabins, but those that don’t offer a lineup consisting mostly of center consoles are few and far between. So, keep on reading—the manufacturers we call out as tops for the more specific categories below all fall into the category of best catamaran center console boat brands, as well.

Offshore Fishing Catamaran Brands

Offshore boats need to meet some prerequisites: they have to be large and competent enough to run dozens of miles from shore, have the fuel capacity for cruising hours on end, and of course they need all the fishing accouterments to handle big game pelagics like tunas and billfish. 

In many ways, Freeman is partially responsible for the current wave of cat popularity, because their 34- to 47-foot fleet was quickly adopted by a number of offshore fishing guides after they splashed their first model in 2007. Their boats are known for hat-stripping performance, often cruising comfortably at 50 mph or more, even in a head sea, with top-end speeds sometimes exceeding 70 mph. Tremendous fuel capacity and utterly massive fishboxes are some other traits the Freemans are famous for.

Invincible Boats offers a lineup including both monohulls and power catamarans , with center console cats ranging from 33 to 46 feet plus a 46-foot pilothouse model. These boats post spectacular speeds with cruising in the 50 mph range and often they can break 70 mph at top-end, thanks to semi-asymmetrical hulls with near-vertical inside walls. Invincible is also known for its advanced and customizable livewell systems. On the 46, for example, the boat can be rigged with up to four livewells up to 70 gallons each, fed by a sea chest system with as many as six pumps. 

When judged by the number of hulls built, World Cat is one of the biggest powercat manufacturers in existence, and the company has a lineup that starts small but includes five models from 26 to 40 feet that are up to the task of offshore fishing. They have all the basic fishing features, plenty of range, and comparatively good performance, but what they’re known for when matched up against the competition is a healthy dose of family-friendly features. Unlike some angling-dedicated offshore fishing catamaran models, the World Cats feature lots of comfy seating, roomy head console compartments, freshwater showers, stereo systems, and similar touches that can take the edge off a long day of fishing.

Inshore Fishing Catamaran Boat Brands

Inshore anglers can be just as demanding as the offshore crowd, and when the weather is right many of them will head into the open ocean as well. So, the main defining factor separating offshore fishing catamaran boats from inshore catamaran fishing boats is simply size. And often, the line between the two gets blurred. As a result, you’ll see some newcomers here, but some of the best catamaran fishing boat brands we’ve already talked about could easily pull a repeat performance.

Caymas is a newcomer to the catamaran world, having built only monohulls up to the 2023 model year. Their new 34, however, is an impressive boat which has offshore abilities and will also make an excellent inshore fishing machine. It rides on a set of twin-stepped hulls with 18/22-degree deadrise surfaces at the transom and 50/55-degree entries at the bow, features a Hooker sea chest livewell system with 70 gallons standard and an additional 50 gallons optional, and plenty of high-end perks like lighted stowage compartments, a JL Marine audio system, and USB ports at the helm.

Photo credit: Caymas Boats

Tideline is a small, semi-custom builder in North Carolina, and their boats can be difficult to find on the market, but we need to mention them here because they build a 24-footer that’s well known as one of the finest inshore hybrid fishing cats around. With twin 200-hp outboards, it boasts 50-plus-mph performance, has an utterly massive forward casting deck for slinging lures to gamefish like reds and specks, and hull draft is a mere 14 inches so it can sneak into the shallows where few anglers tread. 

Photo credit: Tideline Boats

Twin Vee does make some large models intended for offshore use but their 24- to 28-foot center console models are perfect for inshore angling. Better yet for many family fishermen who want a multipurpose platform, they also offer a pair of dual console 24-foot models. Twin Vees have a “compression tunnel” that packs air between the two hulls and compresses it as the boat moves forward, creating a cushion of sorts that makes for an unusually soft ride in choppy seas.

Photo credit: Twin Vee

World Cat is back as we discuss the inshore scene, thanks to models like their 235CC and 260 and 280CC-X. The 235CC is designed like a bay boat, with large fore and aft casting decks, while the 260CC-X features a very unusual drop-down transom design, with the livewell and fishbox shifted into widened aft gunwales. Like other World Cats, these boats have plenty of comfort features to go along with the angling perks.

Photo credit: World Cat

Small Catamaran Fishing Boat Brands

“Small” is a relative term, and while 20- to 24-footers may seem like small catamaran fishing boats to some folks, they seem mighty big to others. However, the distinction is more or less moot because in the current marketplace, no major production builders drop down below 22 feet, seven inches of LOA (the World Cat 235CC). If you want a cat under this size, you can look for a custom builder or search the used boat market. Twin Vee made plenty of 19- to 22-foot boats in years past, Tideline made a 19, and when they were in operation, catamaran boat brands like Leader and Nautico made a number of powercats between 14 and 21 feet.

Choosing the Best Catamaran Brand For You

Are there some powercat brands out there that build a great boat, but we haven’t mentioned? Absolutely. Arrow Cat builds a pair of interesting cabin boats that aren’t 100-percent fishing machines, but do have semi-fishy cockpits that would work just fine for plenty of people. C Dory makes a 25-footer that falls into the same category. And Aquila , which traditionally built large cruising boats, has recently introduced a 28-foot center console billed as a fishing boat. Any of these, or others, could be the “best” brand for you, depending on your personal needs and tastes. But the power catamaran fishing boat manufacturers we’ve called out here are all arguably at the top of the heap—nd if you take one for a sea trial, we’re betting you’ll agree.

Written By: Lenny Rudow

With over three decades of experience in marine journalism, Lenny Rudow has contributed to dozens of boating and fishing publications and websites. Rudow lives in Annapolis, Maryland, and is currently Angler in Chief at Rudow’s FishTalk ; he is a past president of Boating Writers International (BWI), a graduate of the Westlawn School of Yacht Design, and has won numerous BWI and OWAA writing awards.

More from: Lenny Rudow

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• Shoalwater Boats...
• ...The #1 Name in Shallow Water Fishing Boats

Shoalwater Boats - V Hull Flats and Catamaran Fishing Boats

Shoalwater fishing boats has earned a reputation as the premier fishing boat manufacture through hard work, attention to detail and quality control.

We manufacture many style and models of catamaran style fishing boats, from 19' to 25' Catamaran hulls. All of our fishing boats are center console, featuring tunnel hull design for extremely shallow water running. They perform equally well in deep water. We have had great success in marketing our 23' Catamaran as a recreational boat. It is designed after a racing boat hull and is very popular with the younger crowd as a play boat. It is also a favorite with fly fishermen and fishing guides for shallow water fishing.

Our Cat Hull series features include a dual shaped bow for pounding through rough seas while maintaining a nearly flat stern (from the console aft). This design is the best of both worlds, rough water and shallow running. Our rolled gunnels provide splash down for extremely dry ride and extra lift.

The 23' Catamaran suits the family boaters to the Fishing Guides. It is 8' 8" wide and will run about 60 mph with a 200 hp motor. It is a very smooth, stable and dry ride. It is excellent for skiing and family fun, but Dad still has his fishing boat. It will float in about 8 inches of water.

We Package all our shallow water fishing boats with Mercury Marine Motors. If you choose, our dealers will outfit your boat with any motor you like. Let us know what you prefer.

For serious fishing, family boating or just playing on the water, we have the boat for you. Please give one of our dealers a call for more information, brochures or to arrange a demo ride.

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Port O'Connor, Texas

(361)983.4134

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RECREATIONAL BOATS

Move Beyond with RecPro

3212-CTC | RecPro

The 3212-CTC is the fisherman’s favorite of the RecPro vessels, an inclination cemented by massive aft deck fish lockers, exterior accessible head, extended T-transom, and walk-around cabin. Add tackle storage and bait stations to guarantee that the tools for catching and cleaning are never far away. Also available with a full-width superstructure, configurations including split cuddy staterooms, full galley, and upgraded interior can turn this vessel from a fish-killing machine into the perfect getaway cruiser. Contact sales to explore the full suite of custom options.

Length: 32’ Beam: 12’ Lightship: 11,000 lb HP: 250hp – 300hp Outboards Cruise: 30 kn MPG: 1.4

3513-CTC | RecPro

Join the legacy with the pride of the RecPro fleet, the 35’ x 13’ classic tunnel catamaran (CTC). Spruce up the base model by adding rod holders, downrigger pads, self-draining fish lockers, or removable dinghy davits. Pick the ideal appliances for the full-sized galley, enjoy an upgraded U-shaped dinette, or wake up refreshed with a hot water shower. Twin staterooms in the cuddy and a convertible berth ensure this vessel has ample sleeping and seating arrangements for any adventure.Contact sales to explore the full suite of custom options.

Length: 35’ Beam: 13’ Lightship: 14,000 lb HP: 350hp – 425hp Outboards Cruise: 25 kn MPG: 1.0

3814-CTC | RecPro

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Move beyond with the 3814-CTC, a hallmark of the RecPro lineup. Whether primarily used for fishing or leisure, the 38’ x 14’ platform easily accommodates both a spacious aft deck and a roomy interior. With twin forward staterooms in the cuddy, a convertible dinette, and an additional berth sunk into the starboard hull, this vessel can comfortably sleep up to 7 people. The expanded galley is equipped to house full-sized appliances, and the ample counter space is perfect for those who like to spread out. Contact sales to explore the full suite of custom options.

Length: 38’ Beam: 14’ Lightship: 17,000 lb HP: 425hp Outboards Cruise: 25 kn MPG: 0.8

Move Beyond Ordinary: BRIX Marine Launches the 3814-CTC ‘Hammer Cat’ with Starboard Walkaround for Unrivaled Offshore Adventures

Port Angeles, WA – BRIX Marine, a pioneer in maritime innovation, is thrilled to introduce [...]

4216-CTC | RecPro

The ultimate fusion of luxury and rugged versatility, the 4216-CTC sits atop the RecPro lineup as its largest vessel and an icon of industrial chic. Propelled by a pair of Volvo IPS 650s, the unhindered cruising and vessel stability can best be enjoyed either alongside the creature comforts of a fully customizable cabin, or out in the elements on the massive aft deck. A hold integrated into the swim step isolates fish storage from the engine room of the twin 510hp inboard diesels, keeping your catch cool and uncooked. Contact sales to explore the full suite of custom options.  

Length: 42’ Beam: 16’ Lightship: 30,000 lb HP: Twin Volvo D11 510hp with IPS 650 Cruise: 25 kn MPG: 1.0

The best heavy gauge aluminum catamaran in it’s class!

• LENGTH OVERALL : 30′ Without Motors / Bow Pulpit
• HULL ENTRY : 50°
• TRANSOM DEADRISE : 16°
• BEAM : 11′
• BOTTOM : 107″
• TRANSOM : .250
• SIDES : 59″
• FUEL CAPACITY : 240 gallons
• DRY WEIGHT : 8920 lbs. Without Motors
• MAX HORSEPOWER : 600 hp.

• Reverse pilothouse Windshield Design
• Offshore Motor Bracket With Full Length Swim Step Platform and Welded Aluminum drain plugs
• Stainless Steel Fasteners Throughout
• Welded Bow Eye and Transform Eyes
• Welded Rope Cleats
• Over-built one piece, 3/8 thicker keel bar for superior keel strength, weld protection and boat life
• Limited lifetime hull warranty to the original purchaser
• High duality marine paint interior with clear coat, one color matching exterior marine paint with clear coat.
• Fully Welded Alaskan Bulkhead (optional)
• Sliding Cabin door
• Optional side entry sliding door
• Reversed Chines
• Welded self bailing deck
• Instrument panel with easy wiring access
• spare switches wired into the circuit breaker
• Aft battery tray with 3-way battery switch
• Navigation /Anchor lights
• High capacity bilge pump W/ float switch
• 12V Electrical outlet on dash
• Reversed windshield for superior visibility and increase room
• 360 degree walk around cabin design
• Large, oversized transform fish box (optional)
• (2) Large in deck fish boxes
• Walk through transform door
• Non extruded build, plate-plate Welded construction
• Full length side trays
• Cuddy area for marine head and storage

RUGGED. STABLE. READY FOR ADVENTURE.

Introducing the catfish by catfish marine aluminum fishing boats..

The proprietary catamaran hull of the Catfish is the first fishing boat of its kind in the industry, offering unprecedented stability while providing unique storage opportunities. Reinforced welds, and marine grade aluminum skid plates protect the sponsons and give you the freedom to explore virtually anywhere.

ACCESSORY MOUNTS

Every catfish comes with multi-purpose accessory mounts already installed and ready for your gear..

SPLASH DEFLECTORS

Built-in deflectors on the sponsons reduces water splashing and spray while in motion..

INTEGRATED BOW HANDLE

Our integrated handle ensures a strong anchor point while moving, loading, and unloading..

SWIVELING / REMOVABLE WHEELS

180˚ swiveling wheels attach to the stern for ease of transport on dry land.

BOW STORAGE

A large storage compartment in the bow provides space for life jackets, equipment, and wheel storage..

SPONSON STORAGE / LIVE WELLS

Large sponson storage compartments. rear well can be flooded for use as live well., specifications & pricing.

phone: 250.878.8734 [email protected]

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Power Catamaran

AmeraCat wanted to design a center console fishing boat that would fill the gap between 27′ and 39′, so, we created the 31′ AmeraCat. We feel that for the sport fisherman, this is one of the best offshore fishing power catamarans we offer. Great for Charter Boat Captains as well as the everyday fisherman, this center console will meet all your needs and then some. Here are a few pictures of the 31′ AmeraCat power catamaran as well as some of the available options:

Specifications:

• Aprox. Dry Hull Weight- 4850 lbs
• LOA- 31′ 0”
• Beam- 9′ 10″
• Max HP- 800hp
• Fuel Gallons- 265 gallons
• Hull Draft- 15′
• STD Livewell Capacity: 60 Gal
• STD Fishbox Capacity: Approx 400 Quarts
• Freeboard AFT:
• Freeboard Bow:
• Trailering Height: 

The 31′ AmeraCat can handle a lot of upgrades. At this size, you are able to add flying bridges to your catamaran, as well as a ton of other features to make your fishing experience even better. When it comes to a boat, SIZE MATTERS! With this offshore fishing catamaran, you have plenty of room to walk around, making it easy to fish comfortably. All of our Center console fishing boats offer more room then most of our competitors because we offer something, they don’t. A power catamaran that is built with absolutely NO WOOD! We have a unique system of using only high density foam and hand laid construction. Our 31′ center console power cat is lighter, which means better fuel economy, and it doesn’t effect the stability of the boat. The 31′ center console has a max of 700 hp and can house twin 225-350 hp outboard engines, getting you to the fishing grounds fast and without whiplash from high seas.

Ready to get in touch with us to schedule a demo of the 31′ AmeraCat center console AmeraCat? Please use our contact form at the bottom of this page, or visit our Build A Boat page to choose all of the custom upgrades you can add to this catamaran. We can also be reached during normal business hours at 1-772-359-3641 or via email at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you. Always remember, with AmeraCat, you are always dealing directly with the manufacturer, not a dealer. Dealing directly with us allows you to get factory direct pricing and no one knows a boat better then the creator!

Not located in our area? We also offer delivery of your brand new center console fishing catamaran at a reasonable rate. We also take trade-in on your old boat and give you the most amount of money possible towards your new boat*

Not the right size boat for you? That’s okay with us, we have more sizes for you to choose from. Also check out:

• 25′ Single Engine AmeraCat
• 27′ Gen II

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• Aprox. Dry Hull Weight- 2860 lbs
• LOA- 25′ 5”
• Beam- 8′ 6"
• Max HP- 350hp
• Fuel Gallons- 85 gallons
• Hull Draft- 15'
• STD Livewell Capacity: 45 Gal
• STD Fishbox Capacity: 200 Quarts
• Aprox. Dry Hull Weight-3340 lbs
• LOA- 27′ 2”
• Max HP- 600hp
• Fuel Gallons- 150/160 gallons
• Hull Draft- 14'
• STD Livewell Capacity: 50 Gal
• STD Fishbox Capacity: Approx. 300 Quarts
• Beam- 9′ 10"

Caught on an AmeraCat!

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• Aluminum Boat Plans

Aluminum Catamarans

SPECMAR Aluminum Catamaran Hulls are either symmetrical or asymmetrical in design. A symmetrical hull consists of two basic V-bottom hull structures. Asymmetrical hulls are basically a monohaul craft split down the middle and spread apart. A fOIL assisted cat has a lifting foil between the two hulls to increase performance. One of the advantages of our aluminum catamaran is high initial stability.

Prices shown on this website are for plans and for a one time use of CAD cutting files.

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THE ALL AMERICAN DIFFERENCE

Whether it’s a high speed catamaran passenger ferry, a monohull cruise boat, or a government research vessel, we know each of our operator’s needs are unique.

This is why we do not conform their objectives to fit existing designs. We work on every detail of the mission of each vessel prior to production, to ensure the most operator-friendly, fuel-efficient, and best performing vessel in its class. All American Marine is at the forefront of aluminum vessel design and manufacturing. Our team is committed to guiding you through each step of the process, and we deliver great value on a vessel that is truly unique to its specific application.

Government Contracts:

Duns #: 86-731-6010 cage#: 3fpe7.

Innovation is at our core whether it’s building North America’s first hydrogen fuel cell-powered commercial vessel or fuel-efficient & long-range survey vessels.  Our experience building the most technologically advanced vessels in the business serves our operators first and foremost.

There’s no “one-size-fits-all” solution on the water, and that’s why each of our vessels is truly unique to our operator’s mission. Our holistic design/build approach serves our operators in the short and long term in a vessels overall value.

Recognized for our craftsmanship and high quality, our  history of repeat customers knows that once a vessel is delivered, we stand by that vessel for years to come. You call? We answer. We stand by the quality of our vessel’s long-term performance and quality.

(360) 647-7602

Work and patrol.

Whether it’s for the LA Port Police or the Texas Game Wardens, AAM has built the toughest and most innovative vessels required for their class.

Research and Survey

From university research & survey to offshore wind support vessels, see how AAM is building the most advanced boats for all of our operators’ needs.

Pilot Boats

This unique catamaran design incorporates Teknicraft’s hydrofoil supported hull with industry leading maneuverability.

Hybrid Vessels

It’s happening on our roads and we know we won’t be able to rely on fossil fuels forever, that’s why AAM is on the leading edge of the decarbonization trend.

Passenger Ferries

From high-speed catamarans with hydrofoil technology to hybrid electric monohulls, we’re building the future of transportation.

Dinner Cruise Vessels

AAM is excited about this growing sector, and we look forward to customizing more vessels for this unique application.

STATE-OF-THE-ART Facility

Approximately 85 miles North of Seattle, All American Marine’s production facility is located along the Northern shore side of Bellingham Bay in Bellingham, Washington. In early 2017, AAM moved into the brand new, purpose-built 57,000 square foot boat construction facility located on Squalicum Harbor, allowing for multiple vessels of varying sizes to be in construction simultaneously with staggered production schedules.

TESTIMONIALS

The vessel is definitely a game-changer for the Texas Game Wardens. Our key mission is to make sure the Texas maritime border is safe. The fact of the matter is, there’s not an off the shelf vessel available that meets the daily needs of law enforcement, particularly for long-range vessels. Each step of the way All American listened to us, understood our mission, and in conjunction with Teknicraft, designed and built a vessel that has all the versatility we need to be successful on the water.

We are very pleased with the team All American Marine has put together to deliver this unique vessel and are eager for our guests to experience San Francisco Bay from the silent decks of the Enhydra [this fall]. We see the propulsion configuration on the Enhydra as phase one in our move toward the full electrification of our fleet. Stay tuned for phase two.

“We chose All American Marine based on their experience and skillset in building such highly customized research vessels, vessels that are in service throughout North America. This new best-in-class vessel will provide an unmatched platform for our continued focus on performing to the most stringent offshore survey specifications in the world, whether that is for nautical charting or for subsea exploration to support offshore wind development.”

“All American builds the highest quality vessels and offers the best value overall value in the country. When we visited their state-of-the-art facility and saw the rapid progress and the quality of work on our first boat, we decided to go ahead and build two vessels.”

A successful partnership is one that accomplished the goals of all parties and concludes with superior results. King country citizens will be the beneficiaries of these quality vessels for years to come. Thank you to AAK, Teknicraft and King County.

“All American Marine worked with us to refine our goals, build a second, proven vessel that met those goals, and then delivered. In fact, despite building two boats during the midst of a global pandemic, they delivered both boats on time and on budget. This new vessel, with its capacity, comfort, and speed is revolutionizing the fleet for Major Marine Tours. Our customers truly enjoy the spacious and accessible deck spaces when viewing whales and glaciers, particularly the stadium bow viewing area.”

Working with the All American Marine team from start to finish went beyond expectations, and their commitment to detail and excellent project management throughout the process was the difference maker.

KEEP IN TOUCH

To stay in the know about what AAM is up to, whether it’s current builds and new projects, upcoming launches, or industry news, don’t forget to follow our blog , check us out on Facebook and Instagram (@allamericanmarineinc), or shoot us a note and say hello!

PRESS RELEASE: All American Marine Inks Contract with the University of North Carolina Wilmington for an Innovative 73’ Research Vessel

Bellingham, WA, August 13th, 2024: All American Marine (AAM) is proud to announce the award of a contract to build an advanced 73-foot research vessel for the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). This state-of-the-art aluminum catamaran, designed by Teknicraft Design in Auckland, New Zealand, is set to enhance UNCW’s capabilities in marine science research and education along the Mid-Atlantic, US East Coast, and offshore waters. The 73’ x 26.7’ twin-engine, propeller-driven vessel will operate as a multipurpose research platform capable of conducting a wide range of scientific missions, including oceanographic surveys, biological studies, and educational outreach programs. Designed to More

PRESS RELEASE: All American Marine Signs Contract with Los Angeles Port Police to Construct a Next-Generation 65’ Patrol Vessel

All American Marine (AAM) is thrilled to announce a signed contract to construct a state-of-the-art 65-foot catamaran for the Los Angeles Port Police. Teknicraft Design in Auckland, New Zealand, designed this cutting-edge dive and patrol vessel, which represents a significant leap forward in maritime law enforcement capabilities for the LA Port Police. The new vessel, measuring 65’ x 24’, is an aluminum catamaran is specifically designed to enhance the operational efficiency and effectiveness of the LA Port Police and will add operational flexibility to their existing fleet. It will employ the latest hull design improvements from Teknicraft Design, providing improvements More

PRESS RELEASE: All American Marine Delivers Hydrofoil-Assisted Tour Vessel to Phillips Glaciers

All American Marine (AAM) is delighted to announce the successful delivery of the Chugach Express to Phillips Cruises and Tours, marking a significant milestone in our partnership. This high-speed and long-range eco-tour vessel will operate daily in Prince William Sound and will be based out of Whittier, Alaska.  Developed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft Design in Auckland, New Zealand, the Chugach Express boasts an 84.5’ x 30.7’ semi-displacement aluminum catamaran hull, representing cutting-edge maritime engineering. Constructed to US Coast Guard (USCG) Subchapter T classification standards, the vessel features a fuel capacity of 1200 gallons, facilitating fuel-efficient operations. Its design More

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Inspired in Kodiak Tailored Professional Design Built in Alaska

Alaskan aluminum power catamarans, llc.

Specializing in building aluminum, hydrofoil assist, outboard powered catamarans

Alaskan Aluminum Power Catamarans specializes in the design and building of aluminum, hydrofoil assist, outboard powered catamarans; producing a welded aluminum boat specifically designed for operating in our rugged Alaskan environment. Each of our boats is influenced by a lifetime Alaskan resident who has spent most of his life both commercially fishing and sport fish guiding around Kodiak. They are designed by an accomplished naval architect specializing in hydrofoil assist catamarans, and each boat is built here in Alaska by a team well versed in fabricating within Alaska’s Commercial Fishing and Sport Boating industry.

The catamaran-style hull is well known for its stability, extra width, and fuel efficiency. However, the asymmetrical hulls on our boats recognize that the water inside a catamaran’s tunnel is different from the water displaced on the outboard sides of the boat when underway. This design helps to further improve on the catamaran idea; preparing for and mitigating chop entering the tunnel for a smoother ride at speed, as well as minimizing drag, increasing fuel efficiency, and range.

Our hydrofoil further improves that catamaran concept and acts like an airplane wing securely fixed between the hulls, providing several inches of lift to the entire boat on plane. Lifting the boat reduces the wetted surface, thereby reducing drag, increasing fuel efficiency, speed, and range. Lifting the boat also increases the distance between the water’s surface and tunnel, further softening and improving the ride in chop. Our hydrofoils are designed and placed to maximize lift at practical cruising speeds and anticipate a variety of load conditions.

Cabin and deck layout are easily customizable and easily tailored to suit your specific tastes and goals for your vessel. We are very happy to work with you and include our own personal experiences and suggestions as we help to create your ideal platform; whether you are a charter captain looking for a layout specific to your clients needs, a remote cabin owner interested in hauling material and supplies, or any normal Alaskan looking to take family and friends out for a day or week of fun. These decisions aren’t new to us and we enjoy helping tailor this technology to your application.

PO Box 888 Kodiak, AK 99615 Phone: (907) 891-8534 MyBoat@AlaskanCatamarans.com Facebook Instagram

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Twenty eight reasons to buy a Munson

The 28’ Series is our most popular size and are individually customized for each client’s unique requirements and application.  Our 28’ Series is available in 8’6” beam or 10’ beam in both mono hull and catamaran designs.  Like all Munsons, the 28’ Series is designed and built to be worked hard and run into the ground.

Hundreds of 28’ Munsons are in operation all over the world, tolerating a beating that would destroy most boats.  The 28’ Series has been refined and finetuned to make it as functional and rough water capable as possible.  At Munson Boats, no compromises are made, no considerations are over-looked, no corners are cut. Ask any Munson Boat owner and they will tell you that no other welded aluminum boat is built like a Munson.

Our clients say it best…

“Our 28’ Munson Packcat performed like a charm and it exceeded our expectations. We are looking forward to utilizing this vessel in our programs for many years to come. “

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Model: 28-72 Patrol

Lake Havasu, AZ: Lake Havasu Police selected this 28’ Packman as a patrol and dive/rescue vessel. Outfitting includes port and starboard dive doors, dive bottle racks, 500 lb. lifting davit and bow door dive ladder. A large canvas bimini top provides excellent shade protection during hot days. Additional outfitting includes a Garmin 8610xsv multifunction display, Whelen 100w siren, blue LED light bar, search light, solar battery charger, tow post and engine guard.

Specifications

Model: 28-71 Sport

Guemes Island, WA: This 28’ Packcat is used to enjoy all that the San Juan Islands have to offer. A Steelhead Marine crane with wireless controls allows for easy deployment of a Highfield aluminum hull dinghy from the cabin roof. Twin Honda 250’s are installed with Optimus 360 joystick controls with station hold capability. The pilot and co-pilot seats are installed on AirWave suspension bases. Additional outfitting includes a porta-potti, Scotty downriggers, davit with 12V windlass, cabin heater, SeaDek marine flooring, stereo and mooring bridle.

Model: 28-70 Utility

Kotzebue, AK: Western Arctic National Parklands encompass 12 million acres of pristine wilderness and coastline along the Chukchi Sea. The National Park Service uses this 28’ Packcat for transporting crew and ATV’s along the coast and river systems. Outfitting includes a heated cabin with seating for 8 persons, tow post, engine guard, spot light and LED light bar. Twin Suzuki 250 outboards are installed on hydraulic jack plates for navigating vast river systems within the park.

Model: 28-69 Fire

Palmetto, FL: The North River Fire District encompasses 82 square miles on the west coast of Florida.   Their 28’ Munson FB-516 is outfitted with a Darley 500 GPM fire pump with TFT Crossfire monitor and 2.5” and 1.5” hose discharges at the bow.   Additional outfitting includes a Flir M-324XP thermal imaging camera with dedicated display, Garmin navigation electronics and Mini Rad-V radiation detector.   Twin Yamaha 300’s are mounted on Bob’s Machine Shop hydraulic jack plates for extreme shallow draft operations.

Model: 28-68 Tender

The Netherlands: This 28’ Catamaran Tender was built to service a Damen Exploration Yacht. Outfitting includes a unique low profile roof top lifting system, port and starboard boarding doors, removable tow post, fuel transfer pump, fresh water wash down with shower wand, stereo, Garmin navigation suite, flip out pedestrian ramp on the bow door, 12v LED spot light, dive bottle rack, dive ladder, interceptor trim tabs,12v anchor windlass and hydraulic jack plates.

Model: 28-67 Research

Port Isabel, TX: The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley operates this 28’ Munson R/V Vaquero in their School of Marine Science. An 8’6” beam makes her easily trailerable and 16” draft allow her to navigate shallow coastal estuaries. The cabin includes a work station with CPU rack, head compartment and air conditioning.  Other outfitting includes fresh & raw water wash down systems, lifting davit, side dive door, dive ladder, and jack plates for shallow water operations.

Model: 28-66 Utility

Decatur Island, WA: Decatur Island is a small private island with a population of 71 residents that is only accessible by boat or plane. M/V Back Shack comfortably transports her owners and guests to and from their island home. The walk-through cabin is outfitted with seating for six passengers, forced air cabin heater, galley and head. Port and starboard side boarding doors make it easy to load at the dock. The cabin roof includes a davit with 12V winch for launching and retrieving an Achilles hard bottom dinghy.

Model: 28-65 Patrol

Kingston, NY: The NYSP Dive Team is the largest law enforcement public safety dive team in the United States. Their 28’ Munson includes a hydraulic bow door with two dive ladders, port & starboard side doors, tank rack for 8 dive bottles, davit, tow post and engine guard. The cabin is outfitted with forced air heater, rooftop air conditioner, black out shades and folding radar arch. Electronics include Garmin radar/plotter/sounder, Flir thermal imaging camera, back up camera and Mercury joystick piloting system with Skyhook digital anchor.

Model: 28-63 Sport

San Juan Islands, WA: World-class whale watching, kayaking, biking, and hiking are just part of what you find in the San Juan Islands. Specifically designed to provide transportation to a private island, this 28' Munson is outfitted with a side door, an external aft control station, head, heater, port and starboard bow lockers, 500lb capacity davit, removable flip out dive ladder, 6 "rocket launcher" style pipe rack, overhead rod storage rack, and a Suzuki 9.9 kicker motor.

Model: 28-61 Utility

Seattle, WA: The Lake Washington Ship Canal was completed in 1934 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It runs through the city of Seattle, connecting Lake Union and Lake Washington to Puget Sound via the Ballard Locks. The U. S Army Corps of Engineers still maintains this vital waterway, and their 28’ Munson is used for servicing the locks and maintaining the canal. Outfitting includes a fully enclosed wheelhouse, forced air heat, Garmin navigation package, D-rubber fendering, push knees, tow post, outboard motor guard, an Auto Crane 5500E telescoping crane, and 12v bow thruster.

Model: 28-60 Utility

Port Aransas, TX:  The University of Texas Marine Science Institute is the oldest and most significant marine research facility on the Texas coast. Their research unit emphasizes both basic and applied research aimed at understanding the biological, chemical and physical processes governing the coastal zone ecosystem. Outfitting on their 28’ Munson includes a flip up bench seating for 10 passengers, bow door dive ladder, davit, removable sorting table, spud pole, side boarding door, and jack plates for shallow water operations.

Model: 28-59 Utility

Eagle, AK: Yukon-Charlie Rivers National Preserve protects the undeveloped Charley River and a significant portion of the upper Yukon in east central Alaska. The National Park Service is responsible for this preserve and maintains a number of public use cabins and facilities along their 106 miles of river. Their 28’ Munson is used for transporting research teams to remote areas, as well as supplies and equipment which includes a Kawasaki Mule side by side. Outfitting includes an outboard motor guard, tow post, davit, and canvas enclosure to protect the operator.

Model: 28-58 Dive

Selkirk, Ontario:  Cooper Marine is a mobile hard hat diving operation servicing the Great Lakes area. Their 28’ Munson is trailerable, allowing them to rapidly deploy to anywhere in the Great Lakes. Outfitting includes a fully enclosed wheelhouse, forced air heat, LED flood lights, spot light, four (4) “K” dive bottle rack, hose trees for dive operation, side boarding door, removable dive ladder, outboard motor guard, tow post, and a 13,000 lb capacity galvanized trailer.

Model: 28-56 Utility

Naples, FL:  Collier County is known for its Paradise Coast of Naples, Marco Island & the Everglades.  Collier County Coastal Zone Management serves to protect, preserve and enhance its pristine coastal ecosystem and facilities. Their 28’ Munson is used for for servicing aids to navigation, diving, and environmental response.  Outfitting includes removable bow scaffolding, port & starboard dive doors, dive bottle rack, MaxiLift 1100 lb telescoping crane, tow post, motor guard and trailer.

Model: 28-55 Patrol

Fairfield, CA:  The Solano County Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol Program provides public safety resources for 150 miles of navigable rivers, channels, and bays of the Sacramento / San Joaquin River delta. Their 28’ Munson is outfitted with dive bottle racks, side dive door, 2 dive ladders, anchor windlass, tow post, tow line reel, motor guard, davit, Whelen LED light bar, loud hailer, Simrad radar/plotter/sounder, Motorola dual band radio, and trailer.

Model: 28-54 Fire

Williamsburg, VA:  Camp Peary is a 9000 acre military reservation used for Armed Forces Experimental Training Activity under the Department of Defense.  Camp Perry Fire & EMS operates this 28’ Munson outfitted with a 500 GPM fire pump, walk-through cabin with heating & air conditioning, 5kw generator, dive bottle racks, dive ladder, Flir infrared camera, and Garmin radar/plotter/sounder.  A large double door on the cabin allows for easy entry of injured patients on a backboard.  The outboard motors are installed on hydraulic jack plates for shallow water operations.

Model: 28-52 Dive

Chicago, IL:  Collins Engineers, Inc. performs underwater inspections and construction support for projects throughout the United States.  Their 28’ Packcat dive boat is used for hydrographic surveying, bridge inspection, dredging engineering, and hydroelectric dam assessments.  Outfitting includes a heated cabin with diver control station, dive bottle racks, hose racks, side dive doors, anchor windlass, fresh water wash down, Lowrance HDS-12 plotter/sounder, hydrographic sonar mounts, 2800 watt inverter, and triple axle trailer.

Model: 28-50 Sport

Eliza Island, WA:   Located in Bellingham Bay, Eliza Island is a small private island with a population of 10 residents that is only accessible by boat or plane.  M/V Selkie comfortably transports her owners and guests to and from their island home.  The walk-through cabin is outfitted with seating for six passengers, forced air cabin heater, tinted windows and head compartment.  The main decks, bulwarks and gunwales are finished with Line-X non-skid coating.

Model: 28-49 Patrol

Colorado River, CA:  The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office Marine Enforcement Unit is responsible for law enforcement for 90 miles of the Colorado River, which sees nearly 17 million visitors a year.  The busy season begins during Spring Break and ends after Labor Day.  Their 28’ Munson is used for patrol, dive/rescue and emergency response operations.

Model: 28-46 Patrol

Flathead Lake, MT: Based out of Polson Montana on the south shore of Flathead Lake, the Lake County Sheriff patrols and protects the lake's many hunting and fishing destinations. The wheelhouse is outfitted to be functional and versatile. A bench locker on the port side provides plenty of storage for equipment and doubles as a EMS stretcher table. Heat is provided by a Webasto forced air heater. A pair of Honda's new 250 hp outboards put down an impressive top speed of 52 mph.

Model: 28-43 Sport

Sinclair Island, WA: Sinclair Island is located 5 miles north of Anacortes, WA. The island is about 1.5 square miles and is home to only a few private residents. M/V Home Run transports her owners to and from their island home. The wheelhouse features bronze windshield tint, a galley cabinet with fresh water sink, portable head, and a bench seat locker that converts to a berth. A motion-sensing vessel intruder alarm was installed to protect Home Run while in port.

Model: 28-42 Patrol

Stehekin, WA: The remote Stehekin Community lies on the upper north end of Lake Chelan within the North Cascades National Park Service Complex. The only access is a 50-mile trip by boat or float plane. The NPS uses their 28’ Munson for EMS/SAR, law enforcement and park transportation needs. Outfitting includes a walk-through cabin with seating 6 passengers, EMS bench for transporting injured patients, side boarding door, tow post and diesel cabin heater. Extra wide cabin doors are large enough to allow for backboard/litter entry in the cabin.

Model: 28-40 Sport

Kodiak, AK: Ugak Bay provides world class saltwater fishing for silver, king and pink salmon, halibut, lingcod and a variety of rock fish. AlpenView Lodge maintains a variety of boats to access these fisheries, the pride of which is the Captain K. The open back wheelhouse features a head compartment. Fishing equipment includes a rocket launcher rod rack, down rigger mounts, and a davit with 12V pot puller. Rod storage is provided by an overhead roof locker.

Model: 28-39 Sport

Juneau, AK: The M/V Kun' Re is used as a private island transport boat to service a remote property in Southeast Alaska. The wheelhouse features Webasto forced air diesel heat, a head compartment with flushing head, galley cabinet, and a convertible settee. The deck is rigged for fishing with rod holders lining the forward cabin roof and bow rails. The 12v anchor windlass and bow pulpit take the hassle out of setting the hook.

Model: 28-38 Utility

Fields Landing, CA: Humboldt Bay is the only deep-water port on California's North Coast, serving as a major transportation link between the Pacific Northwest and the entire world. The Harbor District operates their Munson during harbor maintenance and operation activities. Duties include transporting Harbor District personnel and associates to and from Harbor District job sites and support of local law enforcement during emergency response.

Model: 28-36 Dive

Seattle, WA: The NOAA Diving Program trains and certifies scientists, engineers and technicians to perform the variety of tasks that are carried out by NOAA underwater. Headquartered in Seattle, the program performs open water dive certification on Lake Washington. Coast Guard certified to carry 14 divers, their dive support vessel features roll control bottle racks, folding bench seats, LED flood lighting and large dive doors.

Model: 28-35 Utility

Sarasota, FL: Sarasota County Coastal Resources focuses on a number of shoreline interests, from maintenance of navigable waterways to shoreline enhancement and habitat restoration. To maintain aids to navigation they ordered their Munson with a special bow door platform and work table. This allows the crew to comfortably work on signs and beacons. A special pile grabber mounted on the bow door keeps the boat in place while working.

Model: 28-34 Utility

Jefferson, ME: Tishman Construction is one of the largest and most respected builders in the United States, with high profile projects including One World Trade Center. Tishman purchased a Munson stock model to support several port renovation projects in Maine. Special features include wire mesh cabin safety glass for tow protection; diesel cabin heat and windshield defrost. White cabin upholstery and interior paint perform well in warmer climates.

Model: 28-32 Water Taxi

Rockport, MA: The city of Rockport's M/V Thacher Island II transports up to 12 visitors at a time from the mainland to historic Thacher Island. Deck seating is provided by folding benches on the port and starboard hull sides. Special features include a Harken winch and line guide installed at the transom and special UHMW rollers on the bottom of the hull. The rollers allow Thacher Island II to be winched up a wooden ramp on the island for storage.

Model: 28-20 Research

Lacey, WA: The Washington State Department of Ecology use this boat is use as a shallow-water hydrographic survey and research vessel in Puget Sound, the Columbia River, and outer Washington coast. The wheelhouse features a workstation with room for computers and survey equipment. An enclosed head can accessed from the main deck. Survey transducers can be deployed via the moon pool on the aft deck.

Model: 28-14 Utility

Key West, FL: Almost 70 miles west of Key West lies the remote Dry Tortugas National Park. This 100 square mile park is mostly open water with seven small islands that are only accessible by boat or seaplane. The National Park Service selected this 28’ Munson Packcat to transfer personnel and equipment within the park. Outfitting includes flip-up bench seating for 8 passengers, fresh water washdown system, lifting davit with 12V windlass, tow post, dive bottle racks, side door and dive ladder. Twin Yamaha 200 outboards are installed on hydraulic jack plates for shallow water operations.

Model: 28-13 Survey

Glacier Bay, AK: Glacier Bay National Park is a highlight of Alaska's Inside Passage. It is home to rugged mountains, wild coastlines, and deep sheltered fjords The National Park & Preserve Service conducts a comprehensive program of scientific research and monitoring to ensure that Glacier Bay's natural and cultural resources are adequately protected. The wheelhouse features forced air cabin heat, a galley cabinet and sleeping for two.

Model: 28-6 Utility

Nome, AK: Nome is located on the south coast of the Seward Peninsula facing the Bering Sea. The city is the commercial hub of northwestern Alaska, as well as the site for the finish of the 1049-mile Iditarod Trail. The Port of Nome use their Munson while placing and retrieving buoys/anchor weighing 400 lbs., moving floating docks into position, inspecting pipeline systems, fuel spill containment and search and rescue.

Model: 28-3 OSR

Endicott, AK: Alaska Clean Seas protects the environment by providing effective response services to the Alaska North Slope Crude Oil Producers. OSR Endeavor is assigned to the BP operations and is tasked with transporting equipment, personnel, and boom deployment for near shore response operations. Special arctic features include storm covers for cabin windows and forced air cabin heat. Bow push knees are designed to align with those on recovery barges.

Model: 28-1 Sport

Bar Harbor, ME: The Munson line is very popular among island residents. Transporting cargo and passengers to island properties is usually the main purpose of their boats, but we understand that our owners like to do more than just commute. This Munson can haul building materials in the morning and scout great kayak and hiking spots in the afternoon. Special features include Line-X deck coating, kayak storage racks, and diesel cabin heat.

“I just wanted to say thank you for a great vessel and thanks for all the assistance you provided over the last few years with helping us design the vessel we needed. Our 28’ Munson Packcat performed like a charm and it exceeded our expectations. We are looking forward to utilizing this vessel in our programs for many years to come. A huge thank you as well to Justin Lagerwey. Justin is an excellent trainer, knows the vessel extremely well and was very patient with everyone in the class. He was able to answer all our questions and concerns and was willing to stay out with us as long as we wanted until we felt comfortable with the vessel. He is a true professional that does a superior job representing the Munson Boat Company. I will highly recommend you and Munson Boats to anyone in the future.””

Chris Collier County, Florida

stephen hawking short biography

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Stephen Hawking

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• University of Cambridge - Stephen Hawking
• Official Site of Stephen Hawking
• Famous Scientists - Biography of Stephen Hawking
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• Stephen Hawking - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
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When was Stephen Hawking born?

Stephen Hawking was born on January 8, 1942.

When did Stephen Hawking die?

Stephen Hawking died on March 14, 2018.

Where did Stephen Hawking get his education?

Stephen Hawking received a bachelor’s degree in physics from University College, Oxford , in 1962 and a doctorate in physics from Trinity Hall, Cambridge , in 1966.

What was Stephen Hawking famous for?

Stephen Hawking worked on the physics of black holes . He proposed that black holes would emit subatomic particles until they eventually exploded. He also wrote best-selling books, the most famous of which was A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes (1988).

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Stephen Hawking (born January 8, 1942, Oxford , Oxfordshire, England—died March 14, 2018, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire) was an English theoretical physicist whose theory of exploding black holes drew upon both relativity theory and quantum mechanics . He also worked with space-time singularities.

Hawking studied physics at University College, Oxford ( B.A. , 1962), and Trinity Hall, Cambridge ( Ph.D. , 1966). He was elected a research fellow at Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge. In the early 1960s Hawking contracted amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , an incurable degenerative neuromuscular disease. He continued to work despite the disease’s progressively disabling effects.

Hawking worked primarily in the field of general relativity and particularly on the physics of black holes. In 1971 he suggested the formation, following the big bang , of numerous objects containing as much as one billion tons of mass but occupying only the space of a proton . These objects, called mini black holes , are unique in that their immense mass and gravity require that they be ruled by the laws of relativity, while their minute size requires that the laws of quantum mechanics apply to them also. In 1974 Hawking proposed that, in accordance with the predictions of quantum theory, black holes emit subatomic particles until they exhaust their energy and finally explode. Hawking’s work greatly spurred efforts to theoretically delineate the properties of black holes, objects about which it was previously thought that nothing could be known. His work was also important because it showed these properties’ relationship to the laws of classical thermodynamics and quantum mechanics.

Hawking’s contributions to physics earned him many exceptional honours. In 1974 the Royal Society elected him one of its youngest fellows. He became professor of gravitational physics at Cambridge in 1977, and in 1979 he was appointed to Cambridge’s Lucasian professorship of mathematics, a post once held by Isaac Newton . Hawking was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1982 and a Companion of Honour in 1989. He also received the Copley Medal from the Royal Society in 2006 and the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. In 2008 he accepted a visiting research chair at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

His publications included The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time (1973; coauthored with G.F.R. Ellis), Superspace and Supergravity (1981), The Very Early Universe (1983), and the best sellers A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes (1988), The Universe in a Nutshell (2001), A Briefer History of Time (2005), and The Grand Design (2010; coauthored with Leonard Mlodinow).

Biography Online

Stephen Hawking Biography

Early life Stephen Hawking

Stephen William Hawking was born on 8 January 1942 in Oxford, England. His family had moved to Oxford to escape the threat of V2 rockets over London. As a child, he showed prodigious talent and unorthodox study methods. On leaving school, he got a place at University College, Oxford University where he studied Physics. His physics tutor at Oxford, Robert Berman, later said that Stephen Hawking was an extraordinary student. He used few books and made no notes, but could work out theorems and solutions in a way other students couldn’t.

“My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all.”

– Stephen Hawking’s Universe (1985) by John Boslough, Ch. 7

It was in Cambridge that Stephen Hawking first started to develop symptoms of neuro-muscular problems – a type of motor neuron disease. This quickly started to hamper his physical movements. His speech became slurred, and he became unable to even to feed himself. At one stage, the doctors gave him a lifespan of three years. However, the progress of the disease slowed down, and he has managed to overcome his severe disability to continue his research and active public engagements. At Cambridge, a fellow scientist developed a synthetic speech device which enabled him to speak by using a touchpad. This early synthetic speech sound has become the ‘voice’ of Stephen Hawking, and as a result, he has kept the original sound of this early model – despite technological advancements.

Nevertheless, despite the latest technology, it can still be a time-consuming process for him to communicate. Stephen Hawking has taken a pragmatic view to his disability:

“It is a waste of time to be angry about my disability. One has to get on with life and I haven’t done badly. People won’t have time for you if you are always angry or complaining. ” The Guardian (27 September 2005)

Stephen Hawking’s principal fields of research have been involved in theoretical cosmology and quantum gravity.

Amongst many other achievements, he developed a mathematical model for Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. He has also undertaken a lot of work on the nature of the Universe, The Big Bang and Black Holes.

In 1974, he outlined his theory that black holes leak energy and fade away to nothing. This became known as “Hawking radiation” in 1974. With mathematicians Roger Penrose he demonstrated that Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity implies space and time would have a beginning in the Big Bang and an end in black holes.

Despite being one of the best physicists of his generation, he has also been able to translate difficult physics models into a general understanding for the general public. His books – A Brief History of Time and The Universe in A Nutshell have both became runaway bestsellers – with a Brief History of Time staying in the Bestsellers lists for over 230 weeks and selling over 10 million copies. In his books, Hawking tries to explain scientific concepts in everyday language and give an overview to the workings behind the cosmos.

“The whole history of science has been the gradual realization that events do not happen in an arbitrary manner, but that they reflect a certain underlying order, which may or may not be divinely inspired.”

–  A Brief History Of Time (1998) ch. 8

Stephen Hawking has become one of the most famous scientists of his generation. He makes frequent public engagements and his portrayed himself in popular media culture from programmes, such as The Simpsons to Star Trek.

Hawking had the capacity to relate the most complex physics to relateable incidents in everyday life.

“The message of this lecture is that black holes ain’t as black as they are painted. They are not the eternal prisons they were once thought. Things can get out of a black hole both on the outside and possibly to another universe. So if you feel you are in a black hole, don’t give up – there’s a way out.”

Stephen Hawking. 7 January 2016 –  Reith lecture at the Royal Institute in London.

In the late 1990s, he was reportedly offered a knighthood, but 10 years later revealed he had turned it down over issues with the government’s funding for science

He married Jane Wilde, a language student in 1965. He said this was a real turning point for him at a time when he was fatalistic because of his illness. They later divorced but had three children.

Stephen Hawking passed away on 14 March 2018 at his home in Cambridge.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “ Biography of Stephen Hawking ”, Oxford, UK – www.biographyonline.net . Last updated 15 January 2018.

A Brief History Of Time

A Brief History Of Time by Stephen Hawking at Amazon

Quotes of Stephen Hawking

“If we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason — for then we would know the mind of God.”

– Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays (1993)

“Even if there is only one possible unified theory, it is just a set of rules and equations. What is it that breathes fire into the equations and makes a universe for them to describe? The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a universe for the model to describe. Why does the universe go to all the bother of existing?”

– A Brief History of Time (1988)

“One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don’t throw it away.”

– Stephen Hawking

“For millions of years, mankind lived just like the animals. Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination. We learned to talk and we learned to listen. Speech has allowed the communication of ideas, enabling human beings to work together to build the impossible. Mankind’s greatest achievements have come about by talking, and its greatest failures by not talking. It doesn’t have to be like this. Our greatest hopes could become reality in the future. With the technology at our disposal, the possibilities are unbounded. All we need to do is make sure we keep talking.”

– Stephen Hawking (BT advert 1993)

Related pages

• Stephen Hawking.org.uk

Stephen hawkings amazing scientist

• February 20, 2019 5:18 AM
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Stephen Hawking biography: Theories, books & quotes

A brief history of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.

• Scientific achievements
• Filmography
• Quotes and controversial statements

Additional resources

Stephen Hawking is regarded as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists in history. 

His work on the origins and structure of the universe, from the Big Bang to black holes, revolutionized the field, while his best-selling books have appealed to readers who may not have Hawking's scientific background. Hawking died on March 14, 2018 , at the age of 76.

Stephen Hawking was seen by many as the world's smartest person, though he never revealed his IQ score. When asked about his IQ score by a New York Times reporter he replied, "I have no idea, people who boast about their IQ are losers," according to the news site The Atlantic .  

Related: 4 bizarre Stephen Hawking theories that turned out to be right (and 6 we're not sure about)

In this brief biography, we look at Hawking's education and career — ranging from his discoveries to the popular books he's written — and the disease that robbed him of mobility and speech.   

The early life of Stephen Hawking

British cosmologist Stephen William Hawking was born in Oxford, England on Jan. 8, 1942  — 300 years to the day after the death of the astronomer Galileo Galilei . He attended University College, Oxford, where he studied physics, despite his father's urging to focus on medicine. Hawking went on to Cambridge to research cosmology , the study of the universe as a whole. 

In early 1963, just shy of his 21st birthday, Hawking was diagnosed with motor neuron disease, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) . Doctors told Hawkings that he would likely not survive more than two years with the disease. Completing his doctorate did not appear likely, but Hawking defied the odds. He also obtained his PhD in 1966 for his thesis entitled " Properties of expanding universes ". In that same year, Hawking also won the prestigious Adams Prize for his essay entitled "Singularities and the Geometry of Space-Time".

From then Hawking went on to forge new roads into the understanding of the universe in the decades since. 

As the disease spread, Hawking became less mobile and began using a wheelchair. Talking grew more challenging and, in 1985, an emergency tracheotomy caused his total loss of speech. A speech-generating device constructed at Cambridge, combined with a software program, served as his electronic voice, allowing Hawking to select his words by moving the muscles in his cheek.

Just before his diagnosis, Hawking met Jane Wilde, and the two were married in 1965. The couple had three children before separating in 1990. Hawking remarried in 1995 to Elaine Mason but divorced in 2006.

Stephen Hawking's greatest scientific achievements

Throughout his career, Hawking proposed several theories regarding astronomical anomalies, posed curious questions about the cosmos and enlightened the world about the origin of everything. Here are just some of the many milestones Hawking made in the name of science. 

In 1970, Hawkings and fellow physicist and Oxford classmate, Roger Penrose, published a joint paper entitled " The singularities of gravitational collapse and cosmology ". In this paper, Hawking and Penrose proposed a new theory of spacetime singularities — a breakdown in the fabric of the universe found in one of Hawking's later discoveries, the black hole. This early work not only challenged concepts in physics but also supported the concept of the Big Bang as the birth of the universe, as outlined in Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity in the 1940s. 

Over the course of his career, Hawking studied the basic laws governing the universe. In 1974, Hawking published another paper called " Black hole explosions? ", in which he outlined a theorem that united Einstein's theory of general relativity, with quantum theory — which explains the behavior of matter and energy on an atomic level. In this new paper, Hawking hypothesized that matter not only fell into the gravitational pull of black holes but that photons radiated from them — which has now been confirmed in laboratory experiments by the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Israel — aptly named "Hawking radiation". 

In 1974, Hawking was inducted into the Royal Society, a worldwide fellowship of scientists. Five years later, he was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, the most famous academic chair in the world (the second holder was Sir Isaac Newton , also a member of the Royal Society).

During the 1980s, Hawking turned his attention to the Big Bang and the uncertainties about the beginning of the universe. "Events before the Big Bang are simply not defined, because there’s no way one could measure what happened at them. Since events before the Big Bang have no observational consequences, one may as well cut them out of the theory and say that time began at the Big Bang," he said during his lecture called The Beginning of Time . In 1983, Hawking, along with scientists James Harlte, published a paper outlining their " no-boundary proposal " for the universe. In their paper, Hawking and Hartle describe the shape of the universe as reminiscent of a shuttlecock — with the Big Bang at the narrowest point and the expanding universe emerging from it.

Related: Can we time travel? A theoretical physicist provides some answers

Books by Stephen Hawking

In the last three decades of Hawking's life, he not only continued to publish academic literature, but he also published several popular science books to share his theories of the history of the universe with the layperson. His most popular book " A Brief History of Time " (10th-anniversary edition: Bantam, 1998) was first published in 1988 and became an international bestseller. It has sold almost 10 million copies and has been translated into 40 different languages.

Hawking went on to write other nonfiction books aimed at non-scientists. These include " A Briefer History of Time ," " The Universe in a Nutshell ," " The Grand Design " and " On the Shoulders of Giants ." 

Along with his many successful books about the inner workings of the universe, Hawking also began a series of science fiction books called " George and the Big Bang ", with his daughter Lucy Hawking in 2011. Aimed at middle school children, the series follows George's adventures as he travels through space. 

Stephen Hawking's filmography

Hawking has made several television appearances, including a playing hologram of himself on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and a cameo on the television show "Big Bang Theory." He has also voiced himself in several episodes of the animated series "Futurama" and "The Simpson". In 1997, PBS also presented an educational miniseries titled " Stephen Hawking's Universe ," which probes the theories of the cosmologist. 

 In 2014, a movie based on Hawking's life was released. Called "The Theory of Everything," the film drew praise from Hawking , who said it made him reflect on his own life. "Although I'm severely disabled, I have been successful in my scientific work," Hawking wrote on Facebook in November 2014. "I travel widely and have been to Antarctica and Easter Island, down in a submarine and up on a zero-gravity flight. One day, I hope to go into space." 

Related: The Theory of Everything: Searching for the universal rules of physics

Stephen Hawking's quotes and controversial statements

Hawking's quotes range from notable to poetic to controversial. Among them: 

• "Even if there is only one possible unified theory, it is just a set of rules and equations. What is it that breathes fire into the equations and makes a universe for them to describe? The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a universe for the model to describe. Why does the universe go to all the bother of existing? "— A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes , 1988 
• "All of my life, I have been fascinated by the big questions that face us, and have tried to find scientific answers to them. If, like me, you have looked at the stars, and tried to make sense of what you see, you too have started to wonder what makes the universe exist."— Stephen Hawking's Universe , 1997.  
• "Science predicts that many different kinds of universe will be spontaneously created out of nothing. It is a matter of chance which we are in." — The Guardian, 2011 .
• "We should seek the greatest value of our action." — The Guardian, 2011. 
• "The whole history of science has been the gradual realization that events do not happen in an arbitrary manner, but that they reflect a certain underlying order, which may or may not be divinely inspired. "— A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes , 1988.   
• "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."  
• "It is not clear that intelligence has any long-term survival value." — Life in the Universe , 1996.  
• "One cannot really argue with a mathematical theorem." — A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes , 1988.  
• "It is a waste of time to be angry about my disability. One has to get on with life and I haven't done badly. People won't have time for you if you are always angry or complaining." — The Guardian, 2005 . 
• "I relish the rare opportunity I've been given to live the life of the mind. But I know I need my body and that it will not last forever." — Stem Cell Universe , 2014. 

A list of Hawking quotes would be incomplete without mentioning some of his more controversial statements.

He frequently said that humans must leave Earth if we wished to survive. 

• "It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand or million...Our only chance of long-term survival is not to remain inward-looking on planet Earth, but to spread out into space," he said during an interview with video site Big Think , 2010. 
• "[W]e must … continue to go into space for the future of humanity…I don't think we will survive another 1,000 years without escaping beyond our fragile planet,"  Hawking said during a lecture at the Oxford Union debating society , 2016. 
• "We are running out of space and the only places to go to are other worlds. It is time to explore other solar systems. Spreading out may be the only thing that saves us from ourselves. I am convinced that humans need to leave Earth," he said during a speech at the Starmus Festival in Norway, 2017. 

He also said time travel should be possible, and that we should explore space for the romance of it. 

"Time travel used to be thought of as just science fiction, but Einstein's general theory of relativity allows for the possibility that we could warp space-time so much that you could go off in a rocket and return before you set out. I was one of the first to write about the conditions under which this would be possible. I showed it would require matter with negative energy density, which may not be available. Other scientists took courage from my paper and wrote further papers on the subject," he told the new site Parade in 2010. "Science is not only a disciple of reason, but, also, one of romance and passion," he adds.

The theoretical physicist was also concerned that robots could not only have an impact on the economy but also mean doom for humanity.

"The automation of factories has already decimated jobs in traditional manufacturing, and the rise of artificial intelligence is likely to extend this job destruction deep into the middle classes, with only the most caring, creative or supervisory roles remaining," he wrote in a 2016 column in The Guardian .

"The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race," he told the BBC in 2014. Hawking added, however, that AI developed to date has been helpful. It's more the self-replication potential that worries him. "It would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever-increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn't compete, and would be superseded."

"The genie is out of the bottle. I fear that AI may replace humans altogether," Hawking told WIRED in November 2017.

An avowed atheist, Hawking also occasionally waded into the topic of religion.

• "Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going." — The Grand Design, by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow. 
• "I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail…There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark," he said during a 2011 interview with The Guardian .
• "Before we understand science, it is natural to believe that God created the universe. But now science offers a more convincing explanation. What I meant by 'we would know the mind of God' is, we would know everything that God would know, if there were a God, which there isn't. I'm an atheist," Hawking said in a 2014 interview with the news site El Mundo .  

For more information about Stephen Hawking, his theories and read through the many transcriptions of his influential lectures, check out his official website . You can also watch Hawking probe the origins of the cosmos in his extraordinary TED talk .  

Bibliography

#5: Stephen Hawking’s warning: Abandon earth-or face extinction . Big Think. (2010, July 27). https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/5-stephen-hawkings-warning-abandon-earth-or-face-extinction/

Beck, J. (2017, October 11). “people who boast about their IQ are losers.” The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/10/trump-tillerson-iq-brag-boast-psychology-study/542544/

The beginning of time . Stephen Hawking. (n.d.-c). https://www.hawking.org.uk/in-words/lectures/the-beginning-of-time

Guardian News and Media. (2005, September 27). Interview: Stephen Hawking . The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2005/sep/27/scienceandnature.highereducationprofile

Guardian News and Media. (2011a, May 15). Stephen Hawking: “there is no heaven; it’s a Fairy story.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/may/15/stephen-hawking-interview-there-is-no-heaven

Guardian News and Media. (2011b, May 15). Stephen Hawking: “there is no heaven; it’s a Fairy story.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/may/15/stephen-hawking-interview-there-is-no-heaven

Guardian News and Media. (2016, December 1). This is the most dangerous time for our planet | Stephen Hawking . The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/01/stephen-hawking-dangerous-time-planet-inequality

Hartle, J. B., & Hawking, S. W. (1983, December 15). Wave function of the universe . Physical Review D. https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.28.2960

Hawking radiation and the sonic black hole - technion - israel institute of technology . Technion. (2021, February 17). https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2021/02/hawking-radiation-and-the-sonic-black-hole/

Hawking, S. W. (1974, March 1). Black Hole Explosions? . Nature News. https://www.nature.com/articles/248030a0

Life in the universe . Stephen Hawking. (n.d.-a). https://www.hawking.org.uk/in-words/lectures/life-in-the-universe

Medeiros, J. (2017, November 28). Stephen Hawking: “I fear ai may replace humans altogether.” WIRED UK. https://www.wired.co.uk/article/stephen-hawking-interview-alien-life-climate-change-donald-trump

Oxford Union Speech . Stephen Hawking. (n.d.-b). https://www.hawking.org.uk/in-words/speeches/speech-5

Pablo Jáuregui, Enviado especial Guía de Isora (Tenerife), & Chocolatillo. (2018, March 14). Stephen Hawking: “no hay ningún dios. soy ateo.” ELMUNDO. https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia/2014/09/21/541dbc12ca474104078b4577.html

The singularities of gravitational collapse and cosmology . Royal Society Publishing. (1970, January 27). https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspa.1970.0021

Hawking, S. W. (1966). Properties of expanding universes. https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.11283

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Biography of Stephen Hawking, Physicist and Cosmologist

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Stephen Hawking (January 8, 1942–March 14, 2018) was a world-renowned cosmologist and physicist, especially esteemed for overcoming an extreme physical disability to pursue his groundbreaking scientific work. He was a bestselling author whose books made complex ideas accessible to the general public. His theories provided deep insights into the connections between quantum physics and relativity, including how those concepts might be united in explaining fundamental questions related to the development of the universe and the formation of black holes.

Fast Facts: Stephen Hawking

• Known For : Cosmologist, physicist, best-selling science writer
• Also Known As : Steven William Hawking
• Born : January 8, 1942 in Oxfordshire, England
• Parents : Frank and Isobel Hawking
• Died: March 14, 2018 in Cambridge, England
• Education : St Albans School, B.A., University College, Oxford, Ph.D., Trinity Hall, Cambridge, 1966
• Published Works :  A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes, The Universe in a Nutshell, On the Shoulders of Giants, A Briefer History of Time, The Grand Design, My Brief History
• Awards and Honors : Fellow of the Royal Society, the Eddington Medal, the Royal Society's Hughes Medal, the Albert Einstein Medal, the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, Member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Wolf Prize in Physics, the Prince of Asturias Awards in Concord, the Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize of the American Physical Society, the Michelson Morley Award of Case Western Reserve University, the Copley Medal of the Royal Society
• Spouses : Jane Wilde, Elaine Mason
• Children : Robert, Lucy, Timothy
• Notable Quote : “Most of the threats we face come from the progress we’ve made in science and technology. We are not going to stop making progress, or reverse it, so we must recognize the dangers and control them. I’m an optimist, and I believe we can.”

Stephen Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, in Oxfordshire, England, where his mother had been sent for safety during the German bombings of London of World War II. His mother Isobel Hawking was an Oxford graduate and his father Frank Hawking was a medical researcher.

After Stephen's birth, the family reunited in London, where his father headed the division of parasitology at the National Institute for Medical Research. The family then moved to St. Albans so that Stephen's father could pursue medical research at the nearby Institute for Medical Research in Mill Hill.

Education and Medical Diagnosis

Stephen Hawking attended school in St. Albans, where he was an unexceptional student. His brilliance was much more apparent in his years at Oxford University. He specialized in physics and graduated with first-class honors despite his relative lack of diligence. In 1962, he continued his education at Cambridge University, pursuing a Ph.D. in cosmology.

At age 21, a year after beginning his doctoral program, Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as motor neuron disease, ALS, and Lou Gehrig's disease). Given only three years to live, he has written that this prognosis helped motivate him in his physics work .

There is little doubt that his ability to remain actively engaged with the world through his scientific work helped him persevere in the face of the disease. The support of family and friends were equally key. This is vividly portrayed in the dramatic film "The Theory of Everything."

The ALS Progresses

As his illness progressed, Hawking became less mobile and began using a wheelchair. As part of his condition, Hawking eventually lost his ability to speak, so he utilized a device capable of translating his eye movements (since he could no longer utilize a keypad) to speak in a digitized voice.

In addition to his keen mind within physics, he gained respect throughout the world as a science communicator. His achievements are deeply impressive on their own, but some of the reason he is so universally respected was his ability to accomplish so much while suffering the severe debility caused by ALS.

Marriage and Children

Just before his diagnosis, Hawking met Jane Wilde, and the two were married in 1965. The couple had three children before separating. Hawking later married Elaine Mason in 1995 and they divorced in 2006.

Career as Academic and Author

Hawking stayed on at Cambridge after his graduation, first as a research fellow and then as a professional fellow. For most of his academic career, Hawking served as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, a position once held by Sir Isaac Newton .

Following a long tradition, Hawking retired from this post at age 67, in the spring of 2009, though he continued his research at the university's cosmology institute. In 2008 he also accepted a position as a visiting researcher at Waterloo, Ontario's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.

In 1982 Hawking began work on a popular book on cosmology. By 1984 he had produced the first draft of "A Brief History of Time," which he published in 1988 after some medical setbacks. This book remained on the Sunday Times bestsellers list for 237 weeks. Hawking's even more accessible "A Briefer History of Time" was published in 2005.

Fields of Study

Hawking's major research was in the areas of theoretical cosmology , focusing on the evolution of the universe as governed by the laws of general relativity . He is most well-known for his work in the study of black holes . Through his work, Hawking was able to:

• Prove that singularities are general features of spacetime.
• Provide mathematical proof that information which fell into a black hole was lost.
• Demonstrate that black holes evaporate through Hawking radiation .

On March 14, 2018, Stephen Hawking died in his home in Cambridge, England. He was 76. His ashes were placed in London’s Westminster Abbey between the final resting places of Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

Stephen Hawking made large contributions as a scientist, science communicator, and as a heroic example of how enormous obstacles can be overcome. The Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication is a prestigious award that "recognizes the merit of popular science on an international level."

Thanks to his distinctive appearance, voice, and popularity, Stephen Hawking is often represented in popular culture. He made appearances on the television shows "The Simpsons" and "Futurama," as well as having a cameo on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in 1993.

"The Theory of Everything," a biographical drama film about Hawking's life, was released in 2014.

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14 March 2018

Stephen Hawking (1942–2018)

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Martin Rees is Astronomer Royal of the United Kingdom. He was a student in Dennis Sciama’s research group at the University of Cambridge at the same time as Stephen Hawking.

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Stephen Hawking in Cambridge, January 1993. Credit: David Montgomery/Getty

When Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with motor-neuron disease at the age of 21, it wasn’t clear that he would finish his PhD. Against all expectations, he lived on for 55 years, becoming one of the world’s most celebrated scientists.

Hawking, who died on 14 March 2018, was born in Oxford, UK, in 1942 to a medical-researcher father and a philosophy-graduate mother. After attending St Albans School near London, he earned a first-class degree in physics from the University of Oxford. He began his research career in 1962, enrolling as a graduate student in a group at the University of Cambridge led by one of the fathers of modern cosmology, Dennis Sciama.

The general theory of relativity was at that time undergoing a renaissance, initiated in part by Roger Penrose at Birkbeck College, London, who had introduced new mathematical techniques. These showed that generic gravitational collapse would lead to singularities — infinities that signal the need for new physics.

Stephen Hawking: A life in science

The implications for black holes and the Big Bang were developed by Hawking in a series of papers collated in the 1973 monograph The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time (Cambridge University Press), co-authored with George Ellis, a near-contemporary who had also been a student of Sciama. Especially important was the realization that the area of black holes’ horizons (‘one-way membranes’ that shroud the singularities, and from within which nothing can escape) could never decrease. The analogy with entropy — a measure of disorder that likewise can never decrease — was developed further by physicist Jacob Bekenstein.

These findings gained Hawking election to the Royal Society in London in 1974, at the age of 32. By then, he was so frail that both movement and speech were difficult, and most of us suspected that his days in front-line research were numbered. But in that same year, he came up with his most distinctive contribution to science: Hawking radiation.

By linking quantum theory and gravity, Hawking showed that a black hole would not be completely black, but would radiate with a well-defined temperature that depended inversely on its mass ( S. W. Hawking Nature 248, 30–31; 1974 ). Black-hole entropy was more than just an analogy. The implication was that the radiation would cause black holes to ‘evaporate’. This process would be unobservably slow, except in ‘mini-holes’ the size of atoms — and these are thought not to exist. Yet Hawking radiation — and the related issue of whether information that falls into a black hole is lost or is somehow recoverable from the radiation — was a profound issue, and one that still engenders controversy among theoretical physicists. Indeed, theorist Andrew Strominger at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said in 2016 that one of Hawking’s papers on the subject ( S. W. Hawking Phys. Rev. D 14, 2460–2473; 1976 ) had caused “more sleepless nights among theoretical physicists than any paper in history”.

By the end of the 1970s, Hawking had been appointed to the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics at Cambridge (former incumbents include Isaac Newton and Paul Dirac); he held the post until he retired in 2009. During these years, in which his focus shifted to the quantum aspects of the Big Bang, the issue of information loss in black holes continued to challenge him.

In 1985, Stephen underwent a tracheotomy, which removed his already limited powers of speech. He was able to control a cursor on a screen and type out sentences — albeit with increasingly painful slowness (first with his hand, and eventually only with a cheek muscle). A speech synthesizer processed his words and generated the androidal accent that became his trademark. In this way, he completed his best-selling book A Brief History of Time (Bantam, 1988), which propelled him to celebrity status.

Had Hawking achieved equal distinction in any other branch of science besides cosmology, it probably would not have had the same resonance with a worldwide public. As I put it in The Telegraph newspaper in 2007, “the concept of an imprisoned mind roaming the cosmos” grabbed people’s imagination.

In 1965, Stephen married Jane Wilde. After 25 years of marriage, and three children, the strain of Stephen’s illness and of sharing their home with a team of nurses became too much and they separated, divorcing in 1995. Jane wrote a book about their life together, Travelling to Infinity (Alma, 2008), and both she and Stephen were happy with the telling of their story in the 2014 film The Theory of Everything (although it elides and conflates Stephen’s science). After a second, briefer marriage, Stephen was supported by an entourage of assistants, as well as his family.

Stephen remained remarkably positive throughout his life, despite the immense frustration that his condition clearly caused. He enjoyed theatre and opera trips, and he seemed energized rather than exhausted by his travels to all parts of the world, as well as by his regular trips to the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He retained robust common sense and a sense of humour, expressed forceful opinions, supported political causes and was happy to engage with the media, despite its insistent attention. His comments gained outsized attention even on subjects in which he was not a specialist, such as philosophy and the dangers of artificial intelligence.

Stephen’s expectations when he was diagnosed dropped to zero; he said that everything that had happened since had been a bonus. And what a bonus — for physics, for the millions enlightened by his books and for the even larger number inspired by his achievement against all the odds.

Nature 555 , 444 (2018)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-02839-9

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Stephen William Hawking

Stephen Hawking is one of the most precious gems in the world of physics, who was ahead of his time. His disability of having unsteady feet and being diagnosed with degenerative disease couldn’t stop Stephen Hawking from becoming the world’s most famous and acclaimed scientist. Even his survival would have been a marvel to this world, but he lived amazingly till 76.

Table of Contents

• Who was Stephen Hawking?
• Stephen Hawking’s Education Awards & Achievements
• The Black Hole Theory

The Big Bang

Hawking radiation, the multiverse, who was stephen william hawking.

Stephen William Hawking was a British physicist, born on 8th January 1942. He is considered the most brilliant theoretical physicist of all time. He revolutionized the field of physics through his work on the origin of the universe and the black hole explosion theory. From the big bang to black holes, all his best-selling books appealed to physics lovers across the globe.

The English theoretical physicist whose theory of the explosion of black holes illustrated upon the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. He also worked in the field of space-time singularities.

Stephen Hawking’s Education Awards & Achievements

Stephen William Hawking studied physics in 1962 at the University College, Cambridge and in 1966 in the Trinity Hall, Cambridge,. His contributions in physics are unparalleled, which often left other scientists scratching their heads.

Professor Stephen William Hawking holds 13 honorary degrees. He was bestowed CBE (1982), Fellow of Honor (1989) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2009).

He has received the Fundamental Physics Award (2013), the Copley Medal (2006) and the Wolf Foundation Award (1988). Along with a bunch of other honours awards and medals, he won the Adams Prize in 1966 for his essay Singularities and the Space-time Geometry.

He was also a member of the Royal Society, the National Academy of Sciences of the United States and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

The physics of black hole.

Stephen William Hawking’s name has always been associated with the black hole. He put forward his stroke of genius combining Einstein’s Theory of Relativity , which has already aroused curiosity and has been under debate for decades, and the theory of quantum mechanics. In the early 1970s, Hawkins turned his attention to both of these theories, and later on, Stephen William Hawking’s most famous thesis on black holes was proven right.

Hawking’s doctoral thesis was written at a critical time when there was an argument between two cosmological theories: the Big Bang theory and the Steady State theory. Both these theories were considered to be opposing each other at that time. However, both theories accepted that the universe is expanding, but the first one explains that the universe is expanding from an ultra-compact, super-dense state at a finite time in the past, and the second one assumes that the universe has been intensifying forever.

Hawking showed in his thesis that the Steady State theory is mathematically self-contradictory. He reasoned instead that the universe began as a dense point called a singularity which was infinitely small. His description has been accepted worldwide today.

The photons or the particles of light can’t escape from the black holes because of their intense and strong gravity. But Stephen Hawking argued on it, explaining the truth, which was more complex than the assumed fact. He applied quantum theory, especially the idea of “virtual photons”; he realized that some of these photons could appear to be radiated from the black hole . At a laboratory experiment in the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, it has recently been confirmed that this theory is correct and is named Hawking Radiation.

Instead of a real black hole, the researchers used a “sonic black hole” from which sound waves cannot outflow.

Stephen Hawking was also involved in the most exciting topics toward the conclusion of his life was the multiverse theory. He proposed the idea that our universe, with its start in the Big Bang, is just one of an infinite number of contemporaneous bubble universes. In his very last paper in 2018, he proposed a novel mathematical framework and tried to seek out the universe in his own words. But as with any assumption concerning parallel universes, we do not have any idea if his ideas are right now. Maybe the scientists will be able to test his belief in the coming times.

Not only an amazing physicist but Stephen Hawking was an amazing and inspiring personality too, he left behind his great research theories and thoughts as his legacy to us, which is truly a gift in physics.

Stay tuned to BYJU’S for more such interesting articles. Also, register to “BYJU’S – The Learning App” for loads of interactive, engaging Physics-related videos and unlimited academic assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What stephen hawking is famous for.

Apart from one of the most brilliant British physicists Stephen Hawking is famous for his theories on the Big Bang and the black hole concept.

What is Stephen Hawking’s IQ

Stephen Hawking has tried to keep his IQ a secret but it was estimated that his IQ is around 160.

When did Stephen Hawking write his first book?

In 1973 Stephen Hawking wrote his first book which is named as “The Large Scale Structure of Space-TIme”

How many types of Black holes are there?

There are four types of black holes:

• Intermediate
• Supermassive

What is Big Bang Theory?

The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model explaining the existence of the observable universe from the earliest known periods through its subsequent large-scale evolution.

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Comment and Physics

A brief history of stephen hawking: a legacy of paradox.

By Stuart Clark

Gemma Levine/Getty

Stephen Hawking, the world-famous theoretical physicist, has died at the age of 76.

Hawking’s children, Lucy, Robert and Tim said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today.

“He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world.

“He once said: ‘It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love.’ We will miss him for ever.”

Stephen Hawking dies aged 76

Tributes flow in following the death of world-famous theoretical physicist stephen hawking.

The most recognisable scientist of our age, Hawking holds an iconic status. His genre-defining book, A Brief History of Time , has sold more than 10 million copies since its publication in 1988, and has been translated into more than 35 languages. He appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation , The Simpsons and The Big Bang Theory . His early life was the subject of an Oscar-winning performance by Eddie Redmayne in the 2014 film  The Theory of Everything . He was routinely consulted for oracular pronouncements on everything from time travel and alien life to Middle Eastern politics and nefarious robots . He had an endearing sense of humour and a daredevil attitude – relatable human traits that, combined with his seemingly superhuman mind, made Hawking eminently marketable.

But his cultural status – amplified by his disability and the media storm it invoked – often overshadowed his scientific legacy. That’s a shame for the man who discovered what might prove to be the key clue to the theory of everything , advanced our understanding of space and time, helped shape the course of physics for the last four decades and whose insight continues to drive progress in fundamental physics today.

Beginning with the big bang

Hawking’s research career began with disappointment. Arriving at the University of Cambridge in 1962 to begin his PhD, he was told that Fred Hoyle , his chosen supervisor, already had a full complement of students. The most famous British astrophysicist at the time, Hoyle was a magnet for the more ambitious students. Hawking didn’t make the cut. Instead, he was to work with Dennis Sciama, a physicist Hawking knew nothing about. In the same year, Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a degenerative motor neurone disease that quickly robs people of the ability to voluntarily move their muscles. He was told he had two years to live.

Although Hawking’s body may have weakened, his intellect stayed sharp. Two years into his PhD, he was having trouble walking and talking, but it was clear that the disease was progressing more slowly than the doctors had initially feared. Meanwhile, his engagement to Jane Wilde – with whom he later had three children, Robert, Lucy and Tim – renewed his drive to make real progress in physics.

Stephen and Lucy Hawking

James Veysey/Camera Press

Working with Sciama had its advantages. Hoyle’s fame meant that he was seldom in the department, whereas Sciama was around and eager to talk. Those discussions stimulated the young Hawking to pursue his own scientific vision. Hoyle was vehemently opposed to the big bang theory (in fact, he had coined the name “big bang” in mockery). Sciama, on the other hand, was happy for Hawking to investigate the beginning of time.

Time’s arrow

Hawking was studying the work of Roger Penrose , which proved that if Einstein’s general theory of relativity is correct, at the heart of every black hole must be a point where space and time themselves break down – a singularity. Hawking realised that if time’s arrow were reversed, the same reasoning would hold true for the universe as a whole. Under Sciama’s encouragement, he worked out the maths and was able to prove it: the universe according to general relativity began in a singularity.

Hawking was well aware, however, that Einstein didn’t have the last word. General relativity, which describes space and time on a large scale, doesn’t take into account quantum mechanics , which describes matter’s strange behaviour at much smaller scales. Some unknown “theory of everything” was needed to unite the two. For Hawking, the singularity at the universe’s origin did not signal the breakdown of space and time; it signalled the need for quantum gravity .

Luckily, the link that he forged between Penrose’s singularity and the singularity at the big bang provided a key clue for finding such a theory. If physicists wanted to understand the origin of the universe, Hawking had just shown them exactly where to look: a black hole .

Black holes were a subject ripe for investigation in the early 1970s. Although Karl Schwarzschild had found such objects lurking in the equations of general relativity back in 1915, theoreticians viewed them as mere mathematical anomalies and were reluctant to believe they could actually exist.

Albeit frightening, their action is reasonably straightforward: black holes have such strong gravitational fields that nothing, not even light, can escape their grip. Any matter that falls into one is forever lost to the outside world. This, however, is a dagger in the heart of thermodynamics.

Stephen Hawking's final theorem turns time and causality inside out

In his final years, Stephen Hawking tackled the question of why the universe appears fine-tuned for life. His collaborator Thomas Hertog explains the radical solution they came up with

Thermodynamic threat

The second law of thermodynamics is one of the most well-established laws of nature. It states that the entropy, or level of disorder in a system, always increases. The second law gives form to the observation that ice cubes will melt into a puddle, but a puddle of water will never spontaneously turn into a block of ice. All matter contains entropy, so what happens when it is dropped into a black hole? Is entropy lost along with it? If so, the total entropy of the universe goes down and black holes would violate the second law of thermodynamics.

Hawking thought that this was fine. He was happy to discard any concept that stood in the way to a deeper truth. And if that meant the second law, then so be it.

Bekenstein and breakthrough

But Hawking met his match at a 1972 physics summer school in the French ski resort of Les Houches, France. Princeton University graduate student Jacob Bekenstein thought that the second law of thermodynamics should apply to black holes too. Bekenstein had been studying the entropy problem and had reached a possible solution thanks to an earlier insight of Hawking’s .

A black hole hides its singularity with a boundary known as the event horizon. Nothing that crosses the event horizon can ever return to the outside. Hawking’s work had shown that the area of a black hole’s event horizon never decreases over time. What’s more, when matter falls into a black hole, the area of its event horizon grows.

Bekenstein realised this was key to the entropy problem. Every time a black hole swallows matter, its entropy appears to be lost, and at the same time, its event horizon grows. So, Bekenstein suggested, what if – to preserve the second law – the area of the horizon is itself a measure of entropy?

Hawking immediately disliked the idea and was angry that his own work had been used in support of a concept so flawed. With entropy comes heat, but the black hole couldn’t be radiating heat – nothing can escape its pull of gravity. During a break from the lectures, Hawking got together with colleagues Brandon Carter, who also studied under Sciama, and James Bardeen, of the University of Washington, and confronted Bekenstein.

The disagreement bothered Bekenstein. “These three were senior people. I was just out of my PhD. You worry whether you are just stupid and these guys know the truth,” he recalls.

Back in Cambridge, Hawking set out to prove Bekenstein wrong. Instead, he discovered the precise form of the mathematical relationship between entropy and the black hole’s horizon. Rather than destroying the idea, he had confirmed it. It was Hawking’s greatest breakthrough.

Hawking radiation

Hawking now embraced the idea that thermodynamics played a part in black holes. Anything that has entropy, he reasoned, also has a temperature – and anything that has a temperature can radiate.

His original mistake, Hawking realised, was in only considering general relativity, which says that nothing – no particles, no heat – can escape the grip of a black hole. That changes when quantum mechanics comes into play. According to quantum mechanics, fleeting pairs of particles and antiparticles are constantly appearing out of empty space, only to annihilate and disappear in the blink of an eye. When this happens in the vicinity of an event horizon, a particle-antiparticle pair can be separated – one falls behind the horizon while one escapes, leaving them forever unable to meet and annihilate. The orphaned particles stream away from the black hole’s edge as radiation. The randomness of quantum creation becomes the randomness of heat.

“I think most physicists would agree that Hawking’s greatest contribution is the prediction that black holes emit radiation,” says Sean Carroll , a theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology. “While we still don’t have experimental confirmation that Hawking’s prediction is true, nearly every expert believes he was right.”

Experiments to test Hawking’s prediction are so difficult because the more massive a black hole is, the lower its temperature. For a large black hole – the kind astronomers can study with a telescope – the temperature of the radiation is too insignificant to measure. As Hawking himself often noted, it was for this reason that he was never awarded a Nobel Prize. Still, the prediction was enough to secure him a prime place in the annals of science, and the quantum particles that stream from the black hole’s edge would forever be known as Hawking radiation .

Some have suggested that they should more appropriately be called Bekenstein-Hawking radiation, but Bekenstein himself rejects this. “The entropy of a black hole is called Bekenstein-Hawking entropy, which I think is fine. I wrote it down first, Hawking found the numerical value of the constant, so together we found the formula as it is today. The radiation was really Hawking’s work. I had no idea how a black hole could radiate. Hawking brought that out very clearly. So that should be called Hawking radiation.”

Theory of everything

The Bekenstein-Hawking entropy equation is the one Hawking asked to have engraved on his tombstone. It represents the ultimate mash-up of physical disciplines because it contains Newton’s constant, which clearly relates to gravity; Planck’s constant, which betrays quantum mechanics at play; the speed of light, the talisman of Einstein’s relativity; and the Boltzmann constant, the herald of thermodynamics.

The presence of these diverse constants hinted at a theory of everything, in which all physics is unified. Furthermore, it strongly corroborated Hawking’s original hunch that understanding black holes would be key in unlocking that deeper theory.

Hawking’s breakthrough may have solved the entropy problem, but it raised an even more difficult problem in its wake. If black holes can radiate, they will eventually evaporate and disappear. So what happens to all the information that fell in? Does it vanish too? If so, it will violate a central tenet of quantum mechanics. On the other hand, if it escapes from the black hole, it will violate Einstein’s theory of relativity. With the discovery of black hole radiation, Hawking had pit the ultimate laws of physics against one another. The black hole information loss paradox had been born.

Hawking staked his position in another ground-breaking and even more contentious paper entitled Breakdown of predictability in gravitational collapse, published in Physical Review D in 1976. He argued that when a black hole radiates away its mass, it does take all of its information with it – despite the fact that quantum mechanics expressly forbids information loss. Soon other physicists would pick sides, for or against this idea, in a debate that continues to this day. Indeed, many feel that information loss is the most pressing obstacle in understanding quantum gravity.

“Hawking’s 1976 argument that black holes lose information is a towering achievement, perhaps one of the most consequential discoveries on the theoretical side of physics since the subject was invented,” says Raphael Bousso of the University of California, Berkeley.

By the late 1990s, results emerging from string theory had most theoretical physicists convinced that Hawking was wrong about information loss, but Hawking, known for his stubbornness, dug in his heels. It wasn’t until 2004 that he would change his mind. And he did it with flair – dramatically showing up at a conference in Dublin and announcing his updated view : black holes cannot lose information.

Today, however, a new paradox known as the firewall has thrown everything into doubt (see “Hawking’s paradox”, below). It is clear that the question Hawking raised is at the core of the quest for quantum gravity.

“Black hole radiation raises serious puzzles we are still working very hard to understand,” says Carroll . “It’s fair to say that Hawking radiation is the single biggest clue we have to the ultimate reconciliation of quantum mechanics and gravity, arguably the greatest challenge facing theoretical physics today.”

Hawking’s legacy, says Bousso, will be “having put his finger on the key difficulty in the search for a theory of everything”.

Hawking continued pushing the boundaries of theoretical physics at a seemingly impossible pace for the rest of his life. He made important inroads towards understanding how quantum mechanics applies to the universe as a whole, leading the way in the field known as quantum cosmology. His progressive disease pushed him to tackle problems in novel ways, which contributed to his remarkable intuition for his subject. As he lost the ability to write out long, complicated equations, Hawking found new and inventive methods to solve problems in his head, usually by reimagining them in geometric form. But, like Einstein before him, Hawking never produced anything quite as revolutionary as his early work.

“Hawking’s most influential work was done in the 1970s, when he was younger,” says Carroll, “but that’s completely standard even for physicists who aren’t burdened with a debilitating neurone disease.”

Stephen Hawking's black hole paradox may finally have a solution

Black holes may not destroy all information about what they were originally made of, according to a new set of quantum calculations, which would solve a major physics paradox first described by Stephen Hawking

Hawking the superstar

In the meantime, the publication of A Brief History of Time catapulted Hawking to cultural stardom and gave a fresh face to theoretical physics. He never seemed to mind. “In front of the camera, Hawking played the character of Hawking. He seemed to play with his cultural status,” says Hélène Mialet, an anthropologist from the University of California, Berkeley, who courted controversy in 2012 with the publication of her book Hawking Incorporated. In it, she investigated the way the people around Hawking helped him build and maintain his public image .

That public image undoubtedly made his life easier than it might otherwise have been. As Hawking’s disease progressed, technologists gladly provided increasingly complicated machines to allow him to communicate. This, in turn, let him continue doing the thing for which he should ultimately be remembered: his science.

“Stephen Hawking has done more to advance our understanding of gravitation than anyone since Einstein,” Carroll says. “He was a world-leading theoretical physicist, clearly the best in the world for his time among those working at the intersection of gravity and quantum mechanics, and he did it all in the face of a terrible disease. He is an inspirational figure, and history will certainly remember him that way.”

Hawking’s paradox

In 2012, four physicists at the University of California, Santa Barbara – Ahmed Almheiri, Donald Marolf, Joseph Polchinski and James Sully, known collectively by physicists as AMPS – shocked the physics community with the results of a thought experiment .

When pairs of particles and antiparticles spawn near a black hole’s event horizon, each pair shares a connection called entanglement. But what happens to this link and the information it holds when one of the pair falls in, leaving its twin to become a particle of Hawking radiation (see main story)?

One school of thought holds that the information is preserved as the hole evaporates, and that it is placed into subtle correlations among these particles of Hawking radiation.

But, AMPS asked, what does it look like to observers inside and outside the black hole? Enter Alice and Bob.

According to Bob, who remains outside the black hole, that particle has been separated from its antiparticle partner by the horizon. In order to preserve information, it must become entangled with another particle of Hawking radiation.

But what’s happening from the point of view of Alice, who falls into the black hole? General relativity says that for a free-falling observer, gravity disappears, so she doesn’t see the event horizon. According to Alice, the particle in question remains entangled with its antiparticle partner, because there is no horizon to separate them. The paradox is born.

So who is right? Bob or Alice? If it’s Bob, then Alice will not encounter empty space at the horizon as general relativity claims. Instead she will be burned to a crisp by a wall of Hawking radiation – a firewall. If it’s Alice who’s right, then information will be lost, breaking a fundamental rule of quantum mechanics. “The fervent controversy surrounding Hawking’s paradox reflects the stakes his work has raised: in quantising gravity, what gives? And how much?” says Raphael Bousso of the University of California, Berkeley. The answer awaits us in the theory of everything. Amanda Gefter

Article amended on 14 March 2018

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Famous Scientists

Stephen Hawking was a theoretical physicist and cosmologist, widely considered to be one of the greatest scientists of his time. He was the first scientist to devise a cosmology that married the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics, and he made huge contributions to our understanding of black holes.

Hawking wrote a number of popular science books including the bestseller A Brief History of Time .

Early Life and Education

Stephen Hawking was born on January 8, 1942 in Oxford, England, UK. His father was Frank Hawking, an English biologist; his mother was Isobel Walker, a Scottish Philosophy, Politics and Economics graduate; both parents were graduates of the University of Oxford. Stephen had two younger sisters and an adopted brother.

Stephen Hawking was an average student at school, deeply interested in science. After winning a scholarship in Natural Sciences at age 17, he graduated at age 20 with a first-class honors degree in Physics from University College, Oxford.

Thereafter, Hawking carried out research at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge, for a PhD in Astronomy and Cosmology.

In his early days at Cambridge, at age 21, Hawking was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a motor neuron disease in which the nerves controlling the muscles become inactive while the sensory nerves function normally. At first his doctors expected him to die within two years.

Due to this sustained condition, it took him about 40 hours to devise a 45 minute lecture.

Contributions and Achievements

Hawking was known for bringing about a limited union between two very different fields: Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity and quantum theory.

At one time it was thought that absolutely nothing could escape from a black hole. Hawking’s equations produced an amazing result – that over time black holes can lose energy – now known as Hawking radiation – hence they can shrink and ‘evaporate,’ disappearing from the universe.

In his 2008 book The Black Hole War , the theoretical physicist Leonard Susskind wrote:

Hawking’s calculation showing how black holes evaporate was more than a brilliant tour de force. I believe that in time, when the repercussions are fully understood, physicists will recognize it as the beginning of a great scientific revolution.

In 1931, Georges Lemaître was the first scientist to propose that the universe and time itself began in a single instant, emerging in a Big Bang. Lemaître believed the universe hatched from a ‘cosmic egg’ whose radius was similar to the earth-sun distance. In 1970, working with Roger Penrose, Hawking showed that if a Big Bang had happened and general relativity were true, then the universe must have grown from a point whose volume was zero, but which contained the entire mass of the universe. Such a point of infinite density is known as a singularity.

Interestingly, at the heart of every black hole lurks a singularity, where gravity has crushed the entire mass of the black hole into a point whose volume is zero.

Hawking was awarded the CBE in 1982, and became a Companion of Honour in 1989. He received numerous awards and medals, including becoming a Fellow of The Royal Society and a Member of the US National Academy of Sciences. He was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

Stephen Hawking was the University of Cambridge’s Lucasian Professor of Mathematics from 1979-2009, a position once held by Sir Isaac Newton .

A highly successful lecturer and author, from 1986 Hawking made use of an adaptive communication system including a speech synthesizer known as the Equalizer to combat ALS. Using the Equalizer, he authored books, scientific papers, and lectures, and was capable of communicating at the modest rate of about 15 words per minute.

His computer synthesized voice and the concept a genius mind trapped within a powerless body captured the public imagination all over the world. Arguably, Hawking became the most famous scientist of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, making appearances in TV shows such as The Big Bang Theory , The Simpsons , and Red Dwarf . The 2014 movie The Theory of Everything was a drama about Hawking’s life and work.

Hawking’s 1988 book A Brief History of Time became an instant best-seller and was translated into 30 languages. It sold over 10 million copies worldwide. His 2001 book The Universe in a Nutshell was hailed as a masterpiece of modern physics.

Personal Life

Stephen Hawking married Jane Wilde, a language student, in 1965, and they had three children: Lucy, Robert and Tim.

The couple separated in 1991. From 2009 Hawking was almost completely paralyzed.

Stephen Hawking died peacefully, age 76, at home, on March 14, 2018, in Cambridge, UK. His ashes were laid to rest in London’s Westminster Abbey between the final resting places of Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

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Gottlieb Daimler | John Dalton | James Dwight Dana | Charles Darwin | Humphry Davy | Peter Debye | Max Delbruck | Jean Andre Deluc | Democritus | René Descartes | Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel | Diophantus | Paul Dirac | Prokop Divis | Theodosius Dobzhansky | Frank Drake | K. Eric Drexler

John Eccles | Arthur Eddington | Thomas Edison | Paul Ehrlich | Albert Einstein | Gertrude Elion | Empedocles | Eratosthenes | Euclid | Eudoxus | Leonhard Euler

Michael Faraday | Pierre de Fermat | Enrico Fermi | Richard Feynman | Fibonacci – Leonardo of Pisa | Emil Fischer | Ronald Fisher | Alexander Fleming | John Ambrose Fleming | Howard Florey | Henry Ford | Lee De Forest | Dian Fossey | Leon Foucault | Benjamin Franklin | Rosalind Franklin | Sigmund Freud | Elizebeth Smith Friedman

Galen | Galileo Galilei | Francis Galton | Luigi Galvani | George Gamow | Martin Gardner | Carl Friedrich Gauss | Murray Gell-Mann | Sophie Germain | Willard Gibbs | William Gilbert | Sheldon Lee Glashow | Robert Goddard | Maria Goeppert-Mayer | Thomas Gold | Jane Goodall | Stephen Jay Gould | Otto von Guericke

Fritz Haber | Ernst Haeckel | Otto Hahn | Albrecht von Haller | Edmund Halley | Alister Hardy | Thomas Harriot | William Harvey | Stephen Hawking | Otto Haxel | Werner Heisenberg | Hermann von Helmholtz | Jan Baptist von Helmont | Joseph Henry | Caroline Herschel | John Herschel | William Herschel | Gustav Ludwig Hertz | Heinrich Hertz | Karl F. Herzfeld | George de Hevesy | Antony Hewish | David Hilbert | Maurice Hilleman | Hipparchus | Hippocrates | Shintaro Hirase | Dorothy Hodgkin | Robert Hooke | Frederick Gowland Hopkins | William Hopkins | Grace Murray Hopper | Frank Hornby | Jack Horner | Bernardo Houssay | Fred Hoyle | Edwin Hubble | Alexander von Humboldt | Zora Neale Hurston | James Hutton | Christiaan Huygens | Hypatia

Ernesto Illy | Jan Ingenhousz | Ernst Ising | Keisuke Ito

Mae Carol Jemison | Edward Jenner | J. Hans D. Jensen | Irene Joliot-Curie | James Prescott Joule | Percy Lavon Julian

Michio Kaku | Heike Kamerlingh Onnes | Pyotr Kapitsa | Friedrich August Kekulé | Frances Kelsey | Pearl Kendrick | Johannes Kepler | Abdul Qadeer Khan | Omar Khayyam | Alfred Kinsey | Gustav Kirchoff | Martin Klaproth | Robert Koch | Emil Kraepelin | Thomas Kuhn | Stephanie Kwolek

Joseph-Louis Lagrange | Jean-Baptiste Lamarck | Hedy Lamarr | Edwin Herbert Land | Karl Landsteiner | Pierre-Simon Laplace | Max von Laue | Antoine Lavoisier | Ernest Lawrence | Henrietta Leavitt | Antonie van Leeuwenhoek | Inge Lehmann | Gottfried Leibniz | Georges Lemaître | Leonardo da Vinci | Niccolo Leoniceno | Aldo Leopold | Rita Levi-Montalcini | Claude Levi-Strauss | Willard Frank Libby | Justus von Liebig | Carolus Linnaeus | Joseph Lister | John Locke | Hendrik Antoon Lorentz | Konrad Lorenz | Ada Lovelace | Percival Lowell | Lucretius | Charles Lyell | Trofim Lysenko

Ernst Mach | Marcello Malpighi | Jane Marcet | Guglielmo Marconi | Lynn Margulis | Barry Marshall | Polly Matzinger | Matthew Maury | James Clerk Maxwell | Ernst Mayr | Barbara McClintock | Lise Meitner | Gregor Mendel | Dmitri Mendeleev | Franz Mesmer | Antonio Meucci | John Michell | Albert Abraham Michelson | Thomas Midgeley Jr. | Milutin Milankovic | Maria Mitchell | Mario Molina | Thomas Hunt Morgan | Samuel Morse | Henry Moseley

Ukichiro Nakaya | John Napier | Giulio Natta | John Needham | John von Neumann | Thomas Newcomen | Isaac Newton | Charles Nicolle | Florence Nightingale | Tim Noakes | Alfred Nobel | Emmy Noether | Christiane Nusslein-Volhard | Bill Nye

Hans Christian Oersted | Georg Ohm | J. Robert Oppenheimer | Wilhelm Ostwald | William Oughtred

Blaise Pascal | Louis Pasteur | Wolfgang Ernst Pauli | Linus Pauling | Randy Pausch | Ivan Pavlov | Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin | Wilder Penfield | Marguerite Perey | William Perkin | John Philoponus | Jean Piaget | Philippe Pinel | Max Planck | Pliny the Elder | Henri Poincaré | Karl Popper | Beatrix Potter | Joseph Priestley | Proclus | Claudius Ptolemy | Pythagoras

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Introduction.

Stephen William Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, in Oxford, England. He studied at the University of Oxford and earned a bachelor’s degree from there in 1962. When Hawking was 21, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis—a disease that weakens muscles and causes paralysis. Despite his diagnosis, he continued to work. He earned a doctorate from the University of Cambridge in 1966.

As a cosmologist, Hawking studied the basic laws that govern the universe. One of his theories was that mini black holes were formed following the big bang . These mini black holes contain one billion tons of mass but occupy less than the space of an atom . Hawking’s work inspired others to investigate the properties of black holes.

Hawking became a professor at Cambridge in 1977. Two years later he was appointed Lucasian professor of mathematics, a post once held by Isaac Newton . In 2009 he was named the Director of Research for the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge.

Hawking earned many honors and awards, including many honorary degrees. He was elected to the Royal Society in 1974, as one of its youngest fellows. He was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1982. In 2006 Hawking received the Copley Medal from the Royal Society, and he was awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Hawking died on March 14, 2018, in Cambridge.

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50 Facts About Stephen Hawking

Last updated on April 1st, 2023

Stephen Hawking is one of the most recognized names around the world. His name is mostly synonymous with images of a paralyzed man who is stuck in a wheelchair, but his lack of mobility never slowed him down. Hawking once stated that “the human race is so puny compared to the universe that being disabled is not of much cosmic significance.” The magnitude of his fame started with his contributions to cosmology, which is the study of the universe, and his theories related to black holes and stars. His rise to fame is peppered with all kinds of events, such as speaking at important ceremonies, receiving awards, advancing his education and publishing books. Here are 50 facts about Stephen Hawking.

1. Stephen William Hawking was born in Oxford, England during World War II on January 8, 1942, making his zodiac sign the Capricorn.

2. His birthday fell on the exact day that physicist and astronomer Galileo Galilei ‘s death occurred 300 years prior, on January 8 in 1642.

3. Both of Hawking’s parents, named Isobel and Frank Hawking, attended the University of Oxford. His mother took on a few different jobs following her graduation but prior to his birth, while his father worked as a research biologist.

4. It was not immediately apparent that Hawking was a genius. At the age of 9, his grades were among the worst in his entire class. After working to improve his grades, Hawking was still only regarded as being average.

5. As a teenager, Hawking’s friends called him “Einstein” after they created a computer using telephone switchboards, old clock parts and additional items that were meant to be recycled.

6. Although he was fond of mathematics and thought about majoring in it, his father strongly urged him to study medicine. His father was mostly concerned about the number of available careers for mathematics graduates, which was considerably low. He also wanted his son to attend Oxford just as he had, but the University did not have a mathematics program at that time.

7. Hawking’s parents could not afford to send him to college, but he was able to go after getting an almost perfect score on his scholarship physics exam and receiving a scholarship.

8. Hawking was not happy during his first year at Oxford, but things started to turn around when he became a member of the Oxford Rowing Team.

9. In 1962, he received his bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Oxford after completing the mandatory four years of coursework.

10. One year later, Hawking was diagnosed with a motor neuron disease called Lou Gehrig’s Disease, which is also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or simply ALS. According to the Mayo Clinic, ALS destroys nerve cells and causes disability. The causes were unknown and a cure was nonexistent. Instead, the disease had been known to usually prove fatal after only three years.

11. Hawking would greatly outlive the estimation commonly associated with those who suffered from ALS at the time. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that approximately 6,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with ALS each year, and that only 10 percent of those diagnosed would live for more than 10 years. Hawking went on to defy statistics and survive for 55 years after his initial diagnosis.

12. However, the disease slowly took its toll on his body. First he needed crutches and walking sticks, but eventually he required the use of a wheelchair in order to get around.

13. Over time, Hawking lost all mobility until he was completely paralyzed. He was forced to rely on other people and even technology for absolutely everything, including getting dressed, getting in and out of his wheelchair, taking a bath, eating his meals and even communicating.

14. The condition deteriorated his body so much that eventually, Hawking could only move some of his fingers. Sadly, this ability was limited to only one of his hands.

15. He was known for recklessly driving his wheelchair through the Cambridge streets and rumor has it that he even ran over the toes of fellow students. In one incident, Hawking broke his femur after crashing his wheelchair into a wall. He simply stated that “the wall won.” Unfortunately, there would be many police investigations conducted and countless allegations thrown around regarding the way people were taking care of Hawking over the years. Though he denied any wrong-doing by any of his carers, he would sport countless injuries without ever offering explanations.

16. Hawking received his Doctor of Philosophy, also known as a Ph.D., in physics from Cambridge University in 1966. His doctoral work was in theoretical physics and his thesis concentrated on black holes.

17. Hawking was married twice. In 1965, he married his first wife, Jane Wilde, but they divorced in 1991. Although she was a devoted wife, mother and full-time caretaker for Hawking, Jane could not handle the pressure and ever-growing list of responsibilities that came along with Hawking’s rise to fame.

18. In 1970, Hawking combined quantum theory with the theory of relativity to deduce that, theoretically, black holes should give off radiation.

19. Colleagues originally dismissed Hawking’s theory, but it was later found that based on the current understanding of physics, Hawking was correct. His concept was named “Hawking radiation” and is still considered to be among his largest contributions to the field of cosmology.

20. He joined The Royal Society in London as a Fellow in 1974. According to their website, The Royal Society’s primary purpose is to “recognize, promote, and support excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity.”

21. Hawking began teaching at Cambridge University in 1979, where he was the seventeenth Lucian Professor of Mathematics. At one time, Isaac Newton held the same position.

22. Hawking had three children with his first wife, Jane Wilde. Their first son, Robert, was born in 1967 and would later become a software engineer. Their second child was a daughter named Lucy, who would establish a career as an author and journalist. Timothy was the youngest child and would take on a number of jobs in the future, including an account manager, a brand development specialist and a loyalty executive.

23. Hawking collaborated with Jim Hartle in 1983 to combine quantum mechanics with general relativity and develop a theory stating that there are no boundaries to the universe, despite it being a contained entity.

24. In 1985, Hawking suffered from pneumonia and was hospitalized. Doctors were forced to perform an emergency tracheotomy, which left him with permanent damage to his vocal cords and larynx.

25. One of Hawking’s nurses and his future wife, Elaine Mason, introduced him to her then-husband, an engineer named David Mason. David refined an electronic speech synthesizer which was operated by a keyboard and attached it to Hawking’s wheelchair, which gave him the ability to communicate.

26. Hawking’s first synthesizer was created in California and ran a program named Equalizer on an Apple computer. He controlled it through the use of a hand clicker that let him select words from a screen.

27. After the disease stole his ability to move his hands, an infrared switch was mounted to his eyeglasses. Hawking controlled this device using a muscle in his cheek.

28. His speech synthesizer spoke with an American accent, which Hawking insisted on keeping the same , even when his equipment was upgraded.

29. Hawking received several awards, such as the Albert Einstein Medal in 1979, a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1982 and the Wolf Prize in Physics in 1988.

30. Hawking published his first book in 1988, titled A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes. It became a best-seller around the world and ultimately sold over 10 million copies. He would joke that the book was the most-purchased but least-read.

31. Hawking guest-starred as himself in a few television shows. The first was in 1993 when he was on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also appeared in The Simpsons, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Futurama and The Big Bang Theory.

32. In 1995, Hawking married his second wife, Elaine Mason. This marriage would only last until 2006.

33. Hawking turned the field of cosmology on its head in 2004, when he personally reversed his 1966 theory that stated black holes swallow anything that gets in their way. He also stated at this time that black holes would never be a means of space travel to a different universe.

34. In 2005, Hawking reworked his best-selling book to be a little bit easier to understand for those who were not scientists. It was aptly named A Briefer History of Time.

35. On April 26, 2007, at 65 years old, Hawking embarked on a Zero Gravity Corporation flight. He was the first quadriplegic to know what zero gravity feels like.

36. In October of that same year, he published a children’s book that he had written with his daughter Lucy, titled George’s Secret Key to the Universe. He and his daughter would eventually publish four additional books.

37. In 2008, Hawking spoke at the celebration of NASA’s 50 th anniversary. During his speech, he hinted at the possibility of alien existence, but warned that we should be wary of coming into contact with aliens. Hawking noted that aliens are unlikely to be DNA-based lifeforms, and therefore we would not be resistant to their diseases.

38. He also focused on the subject of aliens during one episode of his Discovery Channel show, Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking. The show was marketed as revealing “the splendor and majesty of the cosmos” and discussing topics such as “alien life, time travel, how the universe began and how everything will end.”

39. Hawking was appointed to the first Distinguished Research Chair at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Ontario.

40. From 2009 until his death in 2018, he was also the University of Cambridge’s Director of Research at the Center for Theoretical Cosmology.

41. President Barack Obama awarded Hawking the highest civilian honor in the United States, called the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

42. The following year, Hawking published a book he wrote with Leonard Mlodinow titled The Grand Design.

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• Occupation: Scientist and astrophysicist
• Born: January 8, 1942 in Oxford, United Kingdom
• Died: March 14, 2018 in Cambridge, United Kingdom
• Best known for: Hawking radiation and the book A Brief History of Time

• He was born on the 300th anniversary of the death of the famous scientist Galileo .
• He has been married twice and has three children.
• Stephen has been on several TV shows including The Simpsons and the Big Bang Theory .
• The book A Brief History of Time only has one equation, Einstein's famous E = mc 2 .
• Hawking has co-written several children's books with his daughter Lucy including George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt and George and the Big Bang .
• He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.
• He hoped to travel to space one day and trained with NASA on their zero gravity aircraft.
• Listen to a recorded reading of this page:

7 Fascinating Facts About Stephen Hawking

In honor of his inspiring endurance, and his immense contributions to the understanding of the cosmos that swirls around us, here are seven facts about the life of this otherworldly scientist:

He was an average student in elementary school

Hawking didn’t have the sort of sparkling early academic career you'd expect from a Grade-A genius. He claimed he didn't learn to properly read until he was 8 years old, and his grades never surpassed the average scores of his classmates at St. Albans School. Of course, there was a reason those same classmates nicknamed him "Einstein"; Hawking built a computer with friends as a teenager and demonstrated a tremendous capacity for grasping issues of space and time. He also got it together when it counted, dominating his Oxford entrance exams to score a scholarship to study physics at age 17.

Upon his ALS diagnosis, Hawking was told he only had two-and-a-half years to live

After falling while ice skating during his first year as a grad student at Cambridge University, Hawking was told he had the degenerative motor neuron disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and had only two-and-a-half years to live. Obviously that prognosis was light years off, but it seems early onset of the disease was a blessing in disguise, of sorts. Most ALS patients are diagnosed in their mid-50s and live another two to five years, but those diagnosed earlier tend to have a slower-progressing form of the disease. Furthermore, the loss of motor skills forced the burgeoning cosmologist to become more creative. "By losing the finer dexterity of my hands, I was forced to travel through the universe in my mind and try to visualize the ways in which it worked," he later noted.

He was initially puzzled by his own equation

Hawking's equation, which involves the speed of light, Newton’s constant and other symbols that make the non-mathematically inclined run for cover, measures emissions from black holes that today is known as Hawking radiation. Hawking was initially puzzled by these findings, as he believed black holes to be celestial death traps that swallowed up all energy. However, he determined there was room for this phenomenon through the merging of quantum theory, general relativity and thermodynamics, distilling it all into one (relatively) simple but elegant formula in 1974. Already known for establishing important ground rules about the properties of black holes, this discovery kicked his career into a higher gear and set him on the path to stardom. Hawking later said he would like this equation to be carved on his tombstone.

Hawking almost died in 1985

Although the doomsday predictions of his early doctors were off, Hawking did almost die after contracting pneumonia while traveling to Geneva in 1985. While he was unconscious and hooked up to a ventilator, the option of removing the fragile scientist from life support was being considered until his then-wife, Jane, rejected the idea. Hawking instead underwent a tracheotomy, an operation that helped him breathe but permanently took away his ability to speak, prompting the creation of his famous speech synthesizer.

He considered his non-descript computer voice part of his identity

Hawking's original synthesizer was created by a California-based company called Words Plus, which ran a speech program called Equalizer on an Apple II computer. Adapted to a portable system that could be mounted on a wheelchair, the program enabled Hawking to "speak" by using a hand clicker to choose words on a screen. After he eventually lost use of his hands, Hawking had an infrared switch mounted on his glasses that generated words by detecting cheek movement. He also had the communication technology overhauled by Intel, though he insisted on retaining the same robotic voice with its distinctly non-British accent he'd been using for three decades, as he considered it an indelible part of his identity.

Hawking wrote books using his vocal synthesizer

Hawking long believed he could write a book about the mysteries of the universe that would connect with the public, a task that seemed all but impossible after he lost the abilities to write and speak. However, he painstakingly pressed forward with his speech synthesizer, receiving valuable assistance from students who relayed draft revisions with his editor in the United States via speakerphone. Hawking's vision ultimately was realized, as A Brief History of Time landed on the London Sunday Times best-seller list for 237 weeks after its publication in 1988. He went on to pen an autobiography, several other books about his field and a series of science-themed novels, co-written with his daughter, Lucy.

He had a wicked sense of humor

Despite his extraordinary physical challenges, Hawking wasn't shy about appearing on television. He first appeared as himself on a 1993 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation , cracking jokes while playing poker with Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton . He also lent his voice to the animated shows The Simpsons and Futurama , and, fittingly, surfaced on the hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory . Of course, screen time wasn’t only about laughs for the world-renowned physicist, who returned to his bread-and-butter topics of cosmology and the origins of life for his six-part 1997 miniseries Stephen Hawking's Universe . He also provided plenty of stark, sobering descriptions of his life for the 2013 documentary Hawking .

READ MORE: 10 of Stephen Hawking's Best Zingers

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Stephen Hawking; a Short Biography.

Stephen hawking's life so far....

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A short biography of Stephen Hawking's life so far. I made this for school so, it may not be the best, but check it out if you want.

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"Only time (whatever that may be) will tell."

-Stephen Hawking, a Brief History of Time.

Stephen William Hawking was born on January 8 1942 (300th anniversary of Galileo's death- Stephen still to this day takes great pride in this little factoid), in Oxford, England. He is known for his work on black holes and for authoring several science books and is one of the most awarded theoretical Physicists today.

When Stephen was born his parents were happy but, worried as the political climate was tense as England was dealing with World War II and the impending storm of German bombs so, the couple Isobel and Frank Hawking made a move back to Isobel's home Oxford England to have their first child Stephen. They would later go on to have two more children (Mary 1943 and Philippa 1947) and adopt another (Edward was adopted in 1956) who was the couple's second son.

Even as a child Stephen had a passion for Science and Mathematics so, despite his Father's wishes for him to study medicine, Stephen went to Oxford and studied Cosmology. By his own account, he didn't put much time into his studies, he later calculated he on average he only spent about an hour focusing on school work, though he obviously didn't really have to do any more than that. In 1962, he graduated with honours in Natural Science and went to Trinity Hall Cambridge University for a PhD in Cosmology.

At the age of 21 Stephen was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's disease) yet, he is still one of the most celebrated Physicists in the world. Stephen first started to notice problems with his health while he was in Oxford, sometimes he would trip and fall or slur his speech; he didn't look into it until 1963, in his first year at Cambridge. Stephen kept most symptoms to himself but, when his Father took notice, he took Stephen to see a doctor. For the next two weeks the, 21 year-old made a home of the medical clinic, where he underwent a series of tests. Doctors later told Stephen he was in the early stages of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. In very simply the nerves that controlled his muscles were shutting down. The doctors gave him two and a half years to live.

But, the most significant change in his life was the fact that he was in love with a woman who he met at a new year's party in 1963, her name was Jane Wilde, and he soon married her in 1965 and had three children (Robert 1967, Lucy 1969 and Timothy 1979).

Research from another young Cosmologist, Roger Penrose, about the fate of stars and the creation of black holes tapped into Stephen's interest and his own fascination of how the universe began. This set him on his career course that reshaped how the world thought about the universe and black holes.

While physical control over his body declined (he'd been forced to use a wheelchair by 1969), the effects of his disease slowed down. In 1968 he became a member of the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge.

Hawking's continued with his research, had two children and published his first book "The Large Scale Structure of Space- Time" (1973) with G.F.R. Ellis.

In 1974 Hawking's research on black holes showed how matter as radiation can escape the gravitational force of collapsed star, this was known as Hawking radiation and he received many awards including the Albert Einstein Award giving him fame worldwide.

Hawking took on teaching positions but, as his fame and accomplishments grew, his illness also grew worse.

In the mid 1970s, he needed a lot of assistance and lost his voice completely in 1985. Hawking was in danger of not being able to work until a computer programmer developed a speaking device for him that has changed from using his head or eye to now using a muscle in his cheek attached to a sensor.

Hawking went on to write three more books. These were: "A brief History of Time", "The Universe in a Nutshell" and "A Briefer History in Time". The books written between 1988 and 2001 followed on from each other with each book easier to understand than the previous book.

Hawking is sure time travel can happen and his theory is his personal search for a single unifying theory that can combine cosmology with quantum mechanics, the big with the small.

Hawking's desire for answers is also driven by his desire to travel in space. In 2007 experienced two hours of no gravity aboard a modified Boeing 727. He was free of his wheelchair for a brief moment.

Hawking appeared on popular T.V shows and in 1992 a documentary was made on his life titled "A Brief History of Time". In his personal life Hawking slit from his wife in 1990 and married his nurse Elaine Mason in 1995. A report that Elaine was abusing Hawking was dropped in 2003 but, in 2006 they were divorced. Hawking Published a book with his daughter Lucy in 2007 called "George's Secret Key to the Universe."

Hawking's health worsened and in 2009 after hawking announced his retirement he was rushed to hospital described to be "Gravely ill" however Hawking recovered.

In 2010 Hawking wrote a book called "The Grand Design" concluding that the big bang was the inevitable consequence of the laws of physics and nothing more. Hawking had previously that a creator could be possible. Hawking states that,

"Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing," and he continues on to say "Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist."

In 2012 Hawking made news by taking part in a trial for a head-band styled device called the iBrain. The device is designed to read the wearers thoughts using "waves of electrical brain signals, translated using and algorithm." This device could be a revolutionary aid for all those with ALS (or similar disorders affecting speech), including Hawking.

Hawking appeared on the popular comedy show "The Big Bang Theory" as himself and delighted audiences with his spectacular performance. However in 2014 on a more serious issue inspired by the block buster film "Transcendence", Hawking spoke of the possible dangers of artificial intelligence (AI):

"Success in creating AI would be the biggest event in human history," the scientists wrote. "Unfortunately, it might also be the last, unless we learn to avoid the risks." The group warned of a time when this technology would be "outsmarting financial markets, out-inventing human researchers, out-manipulating human leaders, and developing weapons we cannot even understand."

The year of 2014 also included a movie of the life of Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde being released. The movie covers Hawking's early school life and school days, his courtship and, marriage to Wilde, the progression of his crippling disease and his scientific triumphs.

Today in 2015, at the age of 73 Stephen has survived through 52 years of ALS and, has realised his dream of leaving a mark on the world, not only in the scientific world but, in the way he has taught and shared his incredible knowledge with the world, allowing future generations to build on the foundations of his achievements. His accomplishments are only matched by the effort and courage he used to achieve them and reach his goal to leave a mark on the world.

There could be more to come from Stephen Hawking yet.

Stephen Hawking, the brilliant British physicist and cosmologist, revolutionized our understanding of black holes and the universe through his groundbreaking research and resilience in battling ALS.

Stephen Hawking was a scientist known for his work with black holes and relativity, and the author of popular science books like 'A Brief History of Time.'

Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA (8 January 1942 - 14 March 2018) was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. [ 6][ 17][ 18] Between 1979 and 2009, he was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, widely viewed as one of the most prestigious academic ...

Stephen Hawking Biography Stephen Hawking (1942 - 2018) is an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author. He is best known for his attempts to explain in clear terms the origins of the universe and some of the most complicated aspects of the cosmos and physics. Hawking was the first scientist to offer a theory of cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity ...

In this brief biography, we look at Hawking's education and career — ranging from his discoveries to the popular books he's written — and the disease that robbed him of mobility and speech.

Career. Hawking was a cosmologist —someone who studies the structure of the universe (stars and space). He invented important theories about the Big Bang (the start of the universe), black holes and how they work. Stephen Hawking predicted that black holes eject some radiation (energy), even though they normally swallow everything.

Stephen Hawking is one of the most recognisable figures in modern science. His book 'A Brief History of Time' explained modern Physics to the public.

Biography of Stephen Hawking, Physicist and Cosmologist. Stephen Hawking (January 8, 1942-March 14, 2018) was a world-renowned cosmologist and physicist, especially esteemed for overcoming an extreme physical disability to pursue his groundbreaking scientific work. He was a bestselling author whose books made complex ideas accessible to the ...

Hawking, who died on 14 March 2018, was born in Oxford, UK, in 1942 to a medical-researcher father and a philosophy-graduate mother. After attending St Albans School near London, he earned a first ...

Stephen William Hawking was a British physicist, born on 8th January 1942. He is considered the most brilliant theoretical physicist of all time. He revolutionized the field of physics through his work on the origin of the universe and the black hole explosion theory. From the big bang to black holes, all his best-selling books appealed to ...

A brief history of Stephen Hawking: A legacy of paradox. Stephen Hawking, the world-famous theoretical physicist, has died at the age of 76. Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert and Tim said in a ...

Stephen Hawking was a theoretical physicist and cosmologist, widely considered to be one of the greatest scientists of his time. He was the first scientist to devise a cosmology that married the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics, and he made huge contributions to our understanding of black holes. Hawking.

Biography - The Stephen Hawking Pages

Stephen Hawking is an English scientist. He is a cosmologist, or someone who studies the universe as a whole. He is known for his work on black holes . Hawking has also written a number of best-selling books, including A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes (1988).

Stephen Hawking, who was born in 1942, studied physics in Oxford and later went on to Cambridge for his postgraduate research in cosmology. At the age of 22, he was diagnosed with a rare form of ...

Enjoy this short biographical video that details the incredible life of English scientist Stephen Hawking. Hailed as one of the greatest scientific minds of all time, Hawking has contributed much to the field of theoretical physics with breakthrough theories on black holes and thermodynamics. His 1998 book 'A Brief History of Time' was a ...

Here are 50 facts about Stephen Hawking. 1. Stephen William Hawking was born in Oxford, England during World War II on January 8, 1942, making his zodiac sign the Capricorn. 2. His birthday fell on the exact day that physicist and astronomer Galileo Galilei 's death occurred 300 years prior, on January 8 in 1642. 3.

Learn about Stephen Hawking's life and biography. He is a scientist who studies outer space and black holes. He theorized Hawking radiation and wrote the famous physics book A Brief History of Time.

7 Fascinating Facts About Stephen Hawking Here are seven incredible tidbits about the superstar scientist.

Stephen Hawking Biography - Born on January 8, 1942 in Oxford, England. A scientist who studies outer space and black holes. Read about his work, quotes.

Stephen hawking short biography | The OpenBook theOpenBook 29.7K subscribers Subscribed 39 3.6K views 5 years ago

YOU ARE READING. Stephen Hawking; a Short Biography. Non-Fiction. A short biography of Stephen Hawking's life so far. I made this for school so, it may not be the best, but check it out if you want.

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Beloved Russian celebrity ‘spy’ whale is found dead off Norway

For a supposed spy, Hvaldimir was anything but covert.

The white beluga whale had appeared regularly along the coast of Norway since it was first spotted in the country’s north in April 2019, wearing a harness and what appeared to be a mount for a small camera. Together with a buckle that read “Equipment St. Petersburg,” that prompted speculation that it was an escaped “spy whale” that had been trained for military purposes in neighboring Russia.

The whale seemed to love being around people and quickly captivated local residents, who came up with the name Hvaldimir — a combination of the Norwegian word for whale, “hval,” and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin .

The 14-foot, 2,700-pound whale was found dead Saturday in the harbor of Stavanger, a city in southwestern Norway, after having resided in the area since last year, the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries said in a statement Monday.

Marine biologist Sebastian Strand, who had tracked Hvaldimir’s adventures for the nonprofit organization Marine Mind, said that he discovered the whale while he was out scouting for it and that he was “heartbroken.”

“He meant more than I can put into words, to me, to the team and to thousands of people whose lives he had profoundly impacted,” Strand said, adding that Hvaldimir was known to be alive as recently as Friday.

“We were responding to a sighting but did not know anything happened to him,” he said.

Strand said that Hvaldimir had only superficial injuries and that the cause of death was unclear. An autopsy was being performed Monday, the fisheries directorate said.

Even as residents speculated that Hvaldimir might be on a clandestine mission for the Kremlin, Moscow never claimed the alleged Russian operative as its own.

The military use of marine animals is well-documented.

Navies around the world, including those of the Soviet Union and the U.S., famously sought to tame cetaceans for spy missions during the Cold War, training them to retrieve underwater objects and detect mines and even take part in defense operations.

But Hvaldimir could also have been a therapy whale, according to other theories, which could explain his interest in people and responses to hand signals.

“It appeared as if Hvaldimir arrived in Norway by crossing over from Russian waters, where it is presumed he was held in captivity,” Marine Mind says on its website.

The whale’s solitude and behavior were atypical for its species, which generally moves in groups and inhabits remote Arctic areas. Hvaldimir was known to be a fan of catamarans around Norway, regularly following them from one fish farm to another, and hunting for food underneath the fishing nets.

“He has stayed close to fish breeding farms, and has been able to catch fish that graze on surplus feed from the farms,” the fisheries directorate said.

Over the years, Hvaldimir’s movements around densely populated areas had raised concerns about the risk of injury from boats and fishing gear.

“For now, we work towards a final dignity of making sure he is kept well and examined so his death will not be a mystery,” Strand said. “But no matter what now, a beloved friend of many is gone.”

Mithil Aggarwal is a Hong Kong-based reporter/producer for NBC News.

The Mother of All Maritime Links

John's nautical links list, page 31 of 47.

New or Changed Links

Multihulls:

• 2Hulls Inc. (Catamaran, power catamaran & trimaran broker dealers, Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
• Building the Aluminum Catamarans Osram VII and Osram VIII
• Advanced Multihull Designs (AMD, high speed passenger and vehicle ferries)
• African Cats (Builder of cruising sail and power catamarans, Amstelveen, the Netherlands)
• All American Marine (Aluminum Teknicraft catamaran work, passenger and pleasure motorboats, Bellingham, Washington)
• Alwoplast (Builder of large sail/power multihulls, repairs, Valdivia, Chile)
• AmeraCat Custom Catamarans (Builder of commercial or recreational offshore fishing catamarans, Ft. Pierce, Florida)
• American Proas, 1898-1998
• American Sail (Builder of Aqua Cat catamarans, Charleston, South Carolina)
• Aquidneck Custom Boat Builders (Construction, repair and refit of multihulls to 30' beam, composite or other materials, fabrication of composite components, Bristol, Rhode Island)
• The Arctic Ant Aeroboat (Amphibious tetramaran airboat for Arctic conditions, "Don't let the Arctic conditions stop you from doing what the Titanic couldn't, there are no weather conditions unaccessible for the Arctic Ant ," Larsmo, Finland)
• Aspen Power Catamarans (28-40', Burlington, Washington)
• Austal Group (Builder of aluminium vessels including fast ferries, patrol boats, cruise and live-aboard vessels and private motor yachts, Henderson, Western Australia)
• The Austin Outrigger Canoe Club (Lady Bird Lake, Texas)
• Aventure Catamarans (Power and sailing catamarans, Monaco)
• Bailey Custom Boats (Wooden pontoon boats, Statesboro, Georgia)
• Bell Composites, Inc. (Builder of Offshore Catamarans, Powercat motor catamarans, outrigger canoes, Jupiter, Florida)
• Bennington Pontoon Boats
• BoatSmith (Builder of cruising catamarans, West Palm Beach, Florida)
• The British A Class Catamaran Association
• The British Columbia Multihull Society (BCMS)
• Build a Catamaran (Catamaran building logs)
• Building a Woods design Pixie Catamaran in Uruguay (Jeremy Bernal builds a beach cat)
• The Canadian Dart Association (18' catamaran)
• The Canadian Sea Spray Association
• The Catamaran Company (New and used catamarans, sailing vacations, and catamaran services, Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
• Catamaran Cruisers (Fiberglass catamaran houseboats, Columbia, Tennessee)
• The Catamaran Racing Association of Michigan (CRAM)
• Catamaran Sailor Magazine ( ("A NEWSpaper that covers any and all news concerning beach cats")
• The Catapult Inflatable Catamaran Class Association
• C-Dory (Builder of TomCat � power catamarans, Auburn, Washington)
• Choy Designs (Multihull luxury yachts)
• Chris White Designs (Cruising multihulls)
• Coast Catamarans (Developer of the Coast 50 akuminum cruising catamaran, Marseille)
• Corsair Marine, Inc. (Ian Farrier-designed folding, trailerable trimarans, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
• Custom Fiberglass International (CFI, builder Isotope and Cheshire sailing catamarans, Durham, North Carolina)
• Cypress Cay Pontoons (Custom, luxury and fishing pontoon boats, Fort Wayne, Indiana)
• Dick Newick (Trimaran, catamaran & proa designs)
• The Dick Newick Proa Cheers (Third in the 1968 Transat)
• Dragonfly Sailboats (Folding trimarans 6-12 meters, Fredericia, Denmark)
• ElectraCraft (Builder of electric powered launches and pontoon boats, Westlake Village, California)
• Endeavour Catamaran Corporation (Cruising catamarans, Clearwater, Florida)
• Eric Henseval Yacht Design (Sailing multihulls, France)
• Far East Boats (Manufacturer of sailing multihulls, Jiangsu, China)
• The Farrier/Corsair Trimaran Discussion Group (Discussion of the multihull sailboats designed by Ian Farrier)
• Farrier Marine Inc. (Ian Farrier multihull designs)
• FishCraft (Builder of inflatable drift catamarans, Sisters, Oregon)
• Flaquita (Tacking proa for homebuilders designed by Joe Henry)
• Flats � Cat (Rough water-shallow water power catamaran)
• The Flying Proa (Article by William Alden from Harper's New Monthly Magazine , 1877?)
• Fritz Koschmann's Bolger Double Eagle (Building a catamaran eco-tour boat)
• Fulcrum Speedworks (Builder of UFO foiling sailing catamarans, East Providence, Rhode island.)
• Fusion Catamarans (Kits for 40' composite sail and power catamarans, Australia & Thailand)
• Gary Dierking's Outrigger Sailing Canoes Blog (Photos, drawings, and descriptions of outrigger canoes around the world, Gary's outrigger sailing canoe plans)
• The Gemini Catamaran Owners Association
• Gemini Catamarans (Cruising catamarans, Annapolis, Maryland)
• Godfrey Pontoon Boats
• Grabner (Maker of Happy Cat inflatable sailing catamarans, Haag, Austria)
• Grainger Designs (Raku sailing catamarans, Sensori power catamarans, custom and racing designs)
• Great Lakes Watercraft (Maker of MiniCat inflatable sailing catamarans, Takacat inflatable catamarans, Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario)
• Green Dream Boats (Builder of Solliner solar catamarans, Gdynia, Poland)
• Gunboat Multihulls (Manufacturer of large sailing catamarans, Wareham, Massachusetts)
• Harris FloteBote Pontoon Boats (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
• Harryproa (Plans, kits & professionally built Harry, Harrigami & Visionarry cruising proas designed by Rob Denney, Australia)
• Hartley Multihull Designs (Sailing catamaran and trimaran plans for amateur builders, New Plymouth, New Zealand)
• Harvey Golden's Thamakau Project (A skin-on-frame Fijian sailing proa)
• The Hawaiian Sailing Canoe Association (HSCA, information and education on the culture of the Hawaiian sailing canoe)
• Henny van Oortmarssen Homebuilding the F-39 Trimaran Fram in the Netherlands
• Hobie (Manufacturer of sailing catamarans and trimarans)
• Hoewa�a Dallas Outrigger Canoe Club (Texas)
• Holopuni Canoes (Maker of paddling and sailing Hawaiian outrigger canoes, Tahoe City, California)
• How to Build a Timber Outrigger Canoe (FAO online pamphlet)
• Hydro Bikes (Pedal powered catamarans)
• l'Hydropt�re (Speed record setting hydrofoil trimaran)
• Incat Australia (Builder of wave piercing and conventional catamaran ferries)
• The International A Division Catamaran Association
• The International Small Catamaran Handicap Rating System (SCHRS)
• The International Tornado Association
• The James Dory Page (Building a Kurt Hughes 30' Cruising Catamaran)
• James Wharram Designs
• The Jarcat Catamarans Discussion Group
• John Shuttleworth Yacht Designs Ltd. (Multihulls, power and sail)
• Jutson Marine Design (Power catamarans, multihull sailboats, Vancouver, British Columbia)
• K-designs (Bernd Kohler's wing in ground effect and multihull vessels)
• Kelsall Catamarans (Designs 18-75')
• The Kent Island Outrigger Canoe Club
• Kevlacat Power Catamarans (Buddina, Queensland)
• Kha Shing Enterprise (KSE, builder of Montefino catamaran motor yachts, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan)
• Kiribati Canoes (Proas)
• The Koehler Multihulls Discussion Group
• Kurt Hughes Sailing Designs (Catamarans and trimarans)
• Lagoon (Builder of luxury sailing catamarans, Bordeaux Cedex, France)
• LeisureCat & AussieCat (LeisureCat power catamarans, marketed in America as AussieCats, Bibra Lake, Western Australia)
• Maine Cat Catamarans (Builder of cruising sail catamarans, Bremen, Maine)
• Manitou Boats (Aluminum trimaran pontoon boats, Lansing, Michigan)
• Mehrrumpfboote (A German catamaran, trimaran & proa site)
• Metz Boats (Small multihull designs and kits by Klaus Metz, Munich, Bavaria)
• Michael Kabua's Riwuit (Toy sailing proa that won the Marshall Islands Independence Day race in 2000)
• The Microship Project (A trailerable cruising trimaran)
• Mike Waller Yacht Design (Stock and custom multihull designs, Australia)
• Mr. Smith's Amazing Sailboats (The high-speed hydrofoil and multihull designs of Bernard Smith: Aerohydrofoils, Monomarans, Fliptackers and Sailloons)
• The Multihull Association of South Florida (MASF)
• The Multihull Boatbuilder Page (A free exchange of building and design information for simple, efficient, economic homebuilt multihulls)
• The Multihull Centre (Multihull building and repairs, Millbrook, Cornwall)
• The Multihull.com Forums (Discusions on everything multihulls plus sailing meetings devoted to multihulls)
• Multihulls Magazine
• Multihull World ("Australasia's multihull magazine")
• MultiMarine (Used multihulls, multihull designs by Michael Leneman, Venice, California)
• Multi Winds International (Maker of the �lan � trailerable trimaran and Extreme � catamarans)
• M. u. H. von der Linden GmbH (Kits for Grainger and Schionning sailing catamarans, Schionning power catamarans, Wesel, Germany)
• The National Mosquito Catamaran Council (Australia)
• The New England Multihull Association (NEMA)
• Newick Nautical Designs (Dick Newick, stock and custom multihull designs, Sebastopol, California)
• New Wave Boat Company, Inc. (Maker of the Hydro Bike Explorer pedal catamaran)
• Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (Large power passenger catamarans, Freeland, Washington)
• Nichols Diversified Industries (Custom aluminum and steel power passenger catamarans and trimarans to 65', Freeland, Washington)
• Nickels Boat Works (Manufacturer of WindRider & Astus trimarans, Burton, Michigan)
• Noosa Cat (Power catamarans, Australia)
• The Northwest Multihull Association (NWMA)
• The Northwest Multihull Association Discussion Group (NWMA)
• The Norwegian Multihull Association (Norsk Flerskrog Seilklubb, the national class organisation for multihull sailors, including Hobie Cat)
• The Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association (OHCRA)
• The Offshore Multihull Association (OMA, promoting offshore multihull classes at racing events around the world)
• On The Wire Back Issues Online (Ezine for Hobie sailors)
• Pacific Proa Company (Flying proas, Sausalito, California)
• Pantawee Marine (Builder of composite multihulls, both power and sail, up to 18 meters, Thailand)
• The Paper Tiger Catamaran International Association
• Paritet Boats (Manufacturer of high speed aluminum power catamarans, Moscow, Russia)
• Pedigree Cats Inc. (Custom multihulls 46-136', Raymond, Washington)
• The Polynesian Catamaran Association (Wharram catamaran admirers club)
• The Polynesian Voyaging Society
• Princecraft Boats (Manufacturer of aluminum pontoon boats, Princeville, Qu�bec)
• ProaBoat ("The web site for proa boat owners, builders, and designers")
• The Proa FAQ
• Proa File (Michael Schacht's online journal "focused on the multihull sailing canoes of the Pacific Islands as object lessons in sustainable design")
• Proa Web Sites (Linklist at Pacific Proa Company)
• ProPhish (Manufacturers of the WaterSkipper inflatable catamaran pedal boat)
• The Queensland Multihull Yacht Club (Brisbane)
• Q-West Boat Builders (Builder of catamaran passenger ferries up to 40m, Wanganui, New Zealand)
• Ranger Boats (Builder of pontoon boats, Flippin, Arkansas)
• Running Tide Yachts, Ltd. (Monohull and multihull designs with a mast-aft sailing rig and a 65' gamefishing sailing catamaran)
• The Sailrocket World Record Speed Sailing Attempt (A British hydrofoil proa)
• The San Francisco Outrigger Canoe Club (SFOCC, Hawaiian outrigger canoeing)
• Scott Brown Mutihulls (Broker specializing in used Wharram catamarans and other multihull sailboats, Landrake, Cornwall)
• SeaCycle (Pedal powered catamarans, Adrian, Michigan)
• The Searunner Design Parnership (John Marples and Jim Brown, cats and tris, sail and power)
• The Searunner Home Page (Fan page for Jim Brown's classic cruising trimarans)
• The Searunner Trimarans Owners' Association
• Sea Speed Aluminium Catamaran Design (Power catamarans, Brisbane, Australia)
• Schionning Designs (Sailing and power mulithull plans and kits, Tea Gardens, New South Wales)
• The Shearwater Catamaran Class Association
• Skinny Hull Magazine (Sailing canoes and kayaks, proas and similar style boats)
• SLO Sail and Canvas (Trampolines for production catamarans, San Luis Obispo, California)
• Small Trimarans (A sailing community for small trimaran enthusiasts)
• Solar Boats (Importer and distributor Solliner solar catamarans, Perth Western Australia)
• South Bay Pontoon Boats (Middlebury, Indiana)
• Starcraft Marine (Manufacturer of pontoon boats, New Paris, Indiana)
• The Stiletto Catamaran Network
• Stiletto Catamarans (Builder of small cruising catamarans, Columbia, North Carolina)
• Still Water Design, Inc. (Ultralight motor catamarans for low wake environments, Chelsea, Massachusetts)
• Sylvan Marine (Maker of aluminum pontoon boats, New Paris, Indiana)
• Taipan America (Taipan and Boyer A-Class catamaran dealer)
• The Taipan Catamaran Association Of Australia
• Taylor Pacific Proa - An Experiment in Variable Geometry (Designs by Douglas Taylor)
• Team Scarab Multihulls (Sailing trimaran plans by Ray Kendrick, Australia)
• Technicomposit (Builder of high perfpormance composite multhulls, Antibes, France)
• The Texas Outrigger Canoe Club (Surfside Beach, Texas)
• Tiny Dancer (21' windsurfer rigged proa by Ted Warren)
• TomCat Boats (Daysailing and sport cruising catamarans, Newmarket, Ontario)
• Tony Bigras' Cruising Catamaran Page
• The Toronto Multihull Cruising Club
• The Traverse Bay Outrigger Canoe Club (Traverse City, Michigan)
• U-Fab Pontoon Boat Kits (Pontoon boats, houseboats and floating docks, Ottawa, Ontario)
• The Unicorn Catamaran Class Association
• The US A-Class Catamaran Association
• The US Formula 18 Class Association
• Warren Multihull Designs (Ted Warren)
• WaveWalk, Inc. (Builder of paddled catamarans, Sharon, Massachusetts)
• The West River Catamaran Racing Association (WRCRA, weekly catamaran racing in Galesville, Maryland and on the Chesapeake)
• Weta Marine (Builder of sailing trimarans, North Shore City, New Zealand)
• Wharram Builders and Friends (A photo & discussion forum for Wharram design enthusiasts)
• Whitacre Catamarans (Semi-custom performance cruising sailing catamarans, Anacortes, Washington)
• The Windrider Trimaran Forum
• Woods Designs (Sailing catamaran plans for home and professional builders by Richard Woods)
• WorldCat (Builder of WorldCat, Glacier Bay Edition and Livingston power catamarans, Tarboro, North Carolina)