Stephen Hawking, the legendary British theoretical physicist who explored the mysteries of the universe from his wheelchair and went on to become an inspiring figure globally, died today at his home in Cambridge. He was 76.
Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on January 8 — the 300th anniversary of the death of astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei.
Hawking suffered from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a neurodegenerative disease commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, which is usually fatal within a few years. He was diagnosed in 1963, when he was 21, and doctors initially only gave him a few years to live.
But he went on to study at Cambridge and became one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein.
 AIBDPA dips its banner and pays respectful tributes to the great scientist and the wonderful human being.