1942: British physicist Stephen Hawking is born.

Hawking was born in Oxford, where his parents moved to escape the German Blitz on London. In an interesting historical aside, his birth came on the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death.

Though naturally predisposed to mathematics, young Hawking switched to physics, because University College at Oxford did not offer the discipline. He turned out to be pretty good at physics, too. From there, Hawking moved on to Cambridge to do his research in cosmology.

It was while attending Cambridge that he developed the first signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the incurable neurological disease. The average ALS patient dies within a few years of diagnosis. Defying all odds, Hawking has managed to live with it for nearly five decades.

In fact, Hawking has done far more than simply "live with ALS." Almost willfully ignoring his disability, which leaves him paralyzed and unable to speak or walk, Hawking has carved out a brilliant career as a theoretical physicist specializing in the study of the universe.

His best-seller on the subject, A Brief History of Time, helped raise public consciousness regarding the nature of the universe, its possible beginnings and its probable end.

The very slow progression of Hawking's disease remains a mystery. A special computer rigged to his wheelchair and operated by a "blink switch" attached to his glasses gives him a limited self-sufficiency, although he still requires around-the-clock nursing care.

In April 2007, Hawking realized his dream of taking a zero-gravity flight, making him the first quadriplegic ever to do so.

Source: Hawking.org.uk

Photo: Stephen Hawking (center) experiences the thrill of zero gravity on a 2007 flight aboard a modified Boeing 727 aircraft, owned by Zero Gravity.

This article first appeared on Wired.com Jan. 8, 2008.