They say that everything is connected, and we are one together with the universe.
Stephen Hawking, Galileo Galilei, and Albert Einstein are three of the most influential scientists who ever set foot on planet Earth.
All three of them were pioneers in their work.
Galileo Galilei, an Italian astronomer, physicist, and engineer, rightfully described as a polymath, was the “father of observational astronomy,” the “father of modern physics,” the “father of the scientific method,” and the “father of modern science.”
A portrait of Galileo Galilei. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Albert Einstein developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics). Einstein is perhaps best known for his mass-energy equivalence formula E = mc2, which has been dubbed “the world’s most famous equation.”
Einstein and Oppenheimer, around 1950. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Stephen Hawking is the man who brought science to the masses. He was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge between 1979 and 2009. Hawking is known for his contributions to cosmology, general relativity, and quantum gravity, especially in the context of black holes.
In addition to the fact that all three of them were excellent scientists, who left a mark in history with their work, there are a few other things that seem to connect these three masterminds randomly.
It’s a cosmic connection that shows us how random yet calculable the universe can be.
Did you know that Professor Stephen Hawking was born exactly on the 300th anniversary of Galileo Galilei’s death?
Stephan Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, in Oxford. This was exactly on the 300th anniversary of the death of Italian polymath Galileo Galilei.
Galileo is heavily connected to the scientific revolution and is called the father of physics and modern astronomy.
Stephen Hawking and Einstein both died at the age of 76. Stephen Hawking was the man who fused Einstein’s theory of relativity with the quantum theory. He suggested that space and time would have started with the Big Bang and would end up consumed in super-massive black holes.
Professor Stephen Hawking died on the date of the birth of Einstein, March 14. March 14 also happens to be Pi Day. Pi Day is observed on March 14 since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π.
What does all of the above mean? Not much, other than the fact that we are engulfed with similar facts, and we are barely aware of their existence. The truth is that Einstein, Galileo, and Hawking do have certain similarities that link them, but that’s just because of how the universe we live in works.