It was just announced today that physicist Stephen Hawking was awarded the
Copley medal. This is the highest award for scientific acheivement and has been awarded to people like Einstein, Darwin and Pasteur. The Copley medal was first awarded in 1731 by the Royal Society, Britain's elite scientific academy.
"Stephen Hawking has contributed as much as anyone since Einstein to our understanding of gravity," said the society's president, Lord Rees. "This medal is a fitting recognition of an astonishing research career spanning more than 40 years."
I think Stephen Hawking is one of the most incredible human beings to ever live on this planet. His contributions to science are huge. It is unbelieveable that a person with his physical disabilities can do what he has done. His writings, thoughts and hypothesis will be discussed and referred to for many years.