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Dr. Stephen Hawking Dr. Stephen Hawking was born exactly 300 years after the death of Galileo.

Stephen Hawking was born on January 8, 1942 in Oxford, England. He attended University College at Oxford. He wanted to study mathematics but it wasn't available, so he studied physics. While in college, Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with a disease that slowly weakens all of the muscles in his body. Despite being ill, he went on to get a Ph.D. in physics. Dr. Hawking died on March 14, 2018.