Posted on 06/15/2018 10:26:13 PM PDT by Simon Green
The ashes of Stephen Hawking were buried Friday in a corner of Westminster Abbey that honors some of Britain's greatest scientists, between the graves of Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton.
More than 1,000 people attended a service of thanksgiving in the ancient abbey for the physicist, who died in March at age 76 after decades of living with motor neuron disease. When he was diagnosed, at the age of 22, he was given only a few years to live.
Hawking conducted groundbreaking research into black holes and the origins of the universe, and gained global fame as a popularizer and communicator of science. His book "A Brief History of Time" sold 9 million copies — even if many readers didn't finish it — and he appeared on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," ''The Big Bang Theory" and "The Simpsons."
"His name will live in the annals of science," Astronomer Royal Martin Rees said at the memorial service. "Nobody else since Einstein has done more to deepen our understanding of space and time.
"Millions have had their horizons widened by his books and lectures, and even more worldwide have been inspired by a unique example of achievement against all the odds," Rees said.
awking's first wife, Jane, and daughter, Lucy, were among an eclectic crowd that included scientists and schoolchildren; politicians, including British Culture Secretary Matt Hancock and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn; Chic guitarist Nile Rogers; actress Lily Cole; comedian David Walliams; and talk show host Piers Morgan.
Guests also included 1,000 members of the public selected by ballot from 25,000 applicants. A private funeral service was held in March in Cambridge, where Hawking lived and worked for decades.
The service included biblical readings by actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Hawking in a BBC drama, and by Lucy Hawking. Astronaut Tim Peake read from "Queen Mab," by poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, which evokes the wonders of the universe.
Why? I thought he didn’t believe in a “higher power”.
Apparently neither do the people who run Westminster Abbey.
I’ve read his book, which oddly just seemed logical to me. Also it seems he was wrong about black holes? In the end, does he deserve being compared to the greats?
On the other hand Sir Isaac Newton was no atheist.
Given the hand life dealt him, I'd say he did well for himself. Although the fact that he was unfaithful to his wife with prostitutes does not impress me in the least. Disgraceful behavior, but not unexpected from someone with his theological beliefs or lack thereof.
He should have died in an asylum decades ago.
Unlike many people, I do hold to the Biblical teachings that mingling among the dead makes one unclean. So burying people inside the church defies the sanctuary as well, and when I see cemeteries labeled as “Holy”, I cringe as well.
Also it seems he was wrong about black holes? In the end, does he deserve being compared to the greats? <<
Everyone gets a Trophy ...
No doubt Hawking accepted the possibility of principles well beyond his perceptive abilities.
But who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?
I don’t know, Groucho. But what color is an orange?
How did I not know this guy had died? RIP
Good call..
He was a great salesman in a wheelchair
But who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?
The correct answer is nobody.
We vacationed in England in May, toured Westminster, etc. Beautiful places.
According to Hawking, it’s gravitation all the way down... like the Earth being supported on the backs of a bunch of turtles.
“He should have died in an asylum decades ago.”
Let me guess? Something, something....political disagreements?
For those of us interested in his work before he later years of being a mouthpiece (just go with that term), he was one of the tops in he field, and he’s book are absolute classics in the astronomy and physics genres.
God knows how unnecessarily bitter a person would be to think that this guy should have died in an asylum.
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