STEPHEN HAWKING was Britain’s most famous modern-day scientist, a genius who dedicated his life to unlocking the secrets of the universe, explaining the mysteries of black holes, and revealing the nature of time itself.

Born on Jan. 8, 1942 — 300 years to the day after the death of the father of modern science, Galileo Galilei — he believed science was his destiny.

The day of his death, in the early hours of March 14, 2018 at his home in Cambridge, England, happened to coincide with the birthday of yet another genius: Albert Einstein, born March 14, 1879.

But fate also dealt Hawking a cruel hand.

Most of his life was spent in a wheelchair crippled by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor neurone disease that attacks the nerves controlling voluntary movement.

Remarkably, Hawking defied predictions he would only live for a few years, overcoming its debilitating effects on his mobility and speech that left him paralyzed and able to communicate only via a computer speech synthesiser.

“I am quite often asked: how do you feel about having ALS?” he once wrote. “The answer is, not a lot.

“I try to lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition, or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that many.”

Hawking, though, was far from normal.

Inside the shell of his increasingly useless body was a razor-sharp mind, fascinated by the nature of the universe, how it was formed and how it might end.

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

Much of that work centered on bringing together relativity — the nature of space and time — and quantum theory — how the smallest particles in the universe behave — to explain the creation of the universe and how it is governed.

In 1974, he became one of the youngest fellows of Britain’s most prestigious scientific body, the Royal Society, at the age of 32.

In 1979, he was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, where he had moved from Oxford University to study theoretical astronomy and cosmology.

A previous holder of the prestigious post was the 17th-century British scientist Isaac Newton.

Hawking eventually put Newton’s gravitational theories to the test in 2007 when, aged 65, he went on a weightless flight in the United States as a prelude to a hoped-for sub-orbital spaceflight.

Characteristically, he did not see the trip as a mere birthday present.

Instead, he said he wanted to show that disability was no bar to achievement and to encourage interest in space, where he believed humankind’s destiny lay.

“I think the human race has no future if it doesn’t go into space,” he said.

“I believe life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers.”

More recently he said artificial intelligence (AI) could contribute to the eradication of disease and poverty, while warning of its potential dangers.

“In short, success in creating AI could be the biggest event in the history of our civilization.

“Alongside the benefits, AI will also bring dangers, like powerful autonomous weapons, or new ways for the few to oppress the many,” Hawking said in 2016, at the opening of a new AI research center at Cambridge University.

In some ways, Hawking was the inheritor of Einstein’s mantle of the genius-as-celebrity.

“His contribution is to engage the public in a way that maybe hasn’t happened since Einstein,” said prominent astronomer Wendy Freedman, director of the Carnegie Observatories. “He’s become an icon for a mind that is beyond ordinary mortals. ... People don’t exactly understand what he’s saying, but they know he’s brilliant. There’s perhaps a human element of his struggle that makes people stop and pay attention.”

Hawking’s work was too complicated for most people, but they understood that what he was trying to figure out was basic, even primal.

“He was asking and trying to address the very biggest questions we were trying to ask: the birth of the universe, black holes, the direction of time,” said University of Chicago cosmologist Michael Turner. “I think that caught people’s attention.”

Hawking’s genius brought him global fame and he become known as a witty communicator dedicated to bringing science to a wider audience.

His 1988 book “A Brief History of Time” sought to explain to non-scientists the fundamental theories of the universe and it became an international bestseller, bringing him global acclaim. He sold 9 million copies of that book, though many readers didn’t finish it. It’s been called “the least-read best-seller ever.”

In 2007, Hawking published a children’s book, “George’s Secret Key to the Universe,” with his daughter, Lucy, seeking to explain the workings of the solar system, asteroids, his pet subject of black holes and other celestial bodies.

Hawking also moved into popular culture, with cameos in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “The Simpsons,” while his voice appeared in Pink Floyd songs.

Beyond scientific debate Hawking also weighed into politics, describing Donald Trump as “a demagogue who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator” ahead of his election as U.S. president.

Hawking also warned Britain ahead of the Brexit referendum in 2016 against leaving the European Union: “Gone are the days when we could stand on our own against the world.”

The eldest of Frank and Isobel Hawking’s four children, Hawking was born in Oxford, England, into a family of thinkers.

His Scottish mother had earned her way into Oxford University in the 1930s — a time when few women were able to go to college. His father, another Oxford graduate, was a respected medical researcher with a specialty in tropical diseases.

The Hawkings, as one close family friend described them, were an “eccentric” bunch. Dinner was often eaten in silence, each of the Hawkings intently reading a book.

The family car was an old London taxi, and their home in St. Albans was a three-story fixer-upper that never quite got fixed. The Hawkings also housed bees in the basement and produced fireworks in the greenhouse.

Hawking’s father wanted his eldest child to go into medicine, but at an early age, Hawking showed a passion for science and the sky.

In a sense, Hawking’s disease helped him become the noted scientist he is today. Before the diagnosis, Hawking hadn’t always focused on his studies.

“Before my condition was diagnosed, I had been very bored with life,” he said. “There had not seemed to be anything worth doing.” With the sudden realization that he might not even live long enough to earn his Ph.D., Hawking poured himself into his work and research.

As it is with any celebrity, fame has brought with it an interest in Hawking’s personal life.

Hawking first married Jane Wilde in 1965 and had three children. The couple split after 25 years and he married his former nurse, Elaine Mason, but the union broke down amid allegations, denied by him, of abuse.

The love story between Hawking and Wilde was retold in the 2014 film “The Theory of Everything,” which won Britain’s Eddie Redmayne the best actor Oscar for his portrayal of the scientist.

He was also the subject of a 2013 documentary, “Hawking,” in which he reflected on his life: “Because every day could be my last, I have the desire to make the most of each and every minute.”(SD-Agencies)

Hawking remembered in China

CHINESE social media has exploded with fans bidding farewell to Stephen Hawking after he passed away Wednesday.

News of the British scientist’s death was the highest trending subject on Weibo, a popular Chinese microblogging platform.

Hawking was admired in China for the heartfelt messages he sent fans on social media and his ability to stoically rise above his physical disability.

During his visit to China in 2006, one Chinese media report said Hawking had “acquired a cult status among Chinese youngsters,” similar to that of Tom Cruise, while others claimed he had surpassed “superstar” status.

While the Chinese admired him, the feeling seemed mutual. “I like Chinese culture, Chinese food and above all Chinese women. They are beautiful,” Hawking said, at a seminar in Beijing in 2006, where he cautioned the crowd of 500 that global warming could transform the Earth into a fiery planet.

In 2016, the theoretical physicist widened his fan base after creating a Weibo account to connect with his followers in China. On that platform he often expressed his love for China, encouraged the youth and praised them for their curiosity.

Later that year, he told students to “be fearless” in a encouraging message posted during the National College Entrance Exams.(SD-Agencies)