Before Stephen Hawking conquered the world of astrophysics, he was a constant source of worry to his father Frank: 'He has little...'

Today Stephen Hawking is a name associated with the concept of black holes, several bestselling books on science such as A Brief History Of Time. However, once his father Frank Hawking once fretted about him, worrying that he barely seemed to study. As per a report by The Guardian, some diaries written by Hawking Sr has been uncovered. In 1961, when Stephen was just 19, and an undergraduate at Oxford, his father worried that he was pottering around the house, not studying. He also seemed not that enthusiastic about Physics, which he deemed lesser than the arts.

"He hangs round the house with little initiative and does not study much," wrote Hawking Sr.

Frank Hawking maintained detailed personal journals, often writing sections in Greek so that sensitive family observations remained private. Those notebooks stayed out of public view for many years. It is only through a recent biography that readers have gained insight into his personal reflections as he observed Stephen Hawking navigating the uncertain years of early adulthood.


The entries reveal a father attempting to understand his gifted son. Frank struggled to reconcile Stephen’s extraordinary intelligence with what he viewed as a lack of the intense determination he himself had possessed as a young man. He often questioned whether Stephen was making the most of his remarkable abilities. These reflections capture the familiar worries of a parent, made even more poignant when viewed through the lens of history.

An unconventional young thinker

People who interacted with Stephen during his youth did not consider him driven in the traditional academic sense. He was rarely the student who spent endless hours memorizing textbooks or studying obsessively. Instead, he displayed an exceptional ability to absorb complex ideas with ease and enjoyed exploring scientific concepts through curiosity rather than routine discipline. He spent time assembling and dismantling mechanical devices simply to understand how they worked and frequently engaged in long conversations about science with friends.

His classmates nicknamed him "Einstein," sometimes playfully and sometimes out of genuine admiration for his intellect. Even so, few imagined that this curious young student would one day redefine humanity's understanding of the cosmos. His early years demonstrated that extraordinary talent does not always reveal itself through obvious ambition or conventional achievements.

A life-changing diagnosis

Stephen Hawking's future took an unexpected turn when he was only 21 years old. Doctors diagnosed him with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neurone disease, and predicted that he had only a limited time to live. Such devastating news could have ended his aspirations, but it instead became a turning point.

Rather than surrendering to despair, Hawking dedicated himself more intensely to theoretical physics. He immersed himself in some of the most challenging questions about space, time, gravity, and the nature of the universe. The uncertainty that had once marked his youth gave way to an unwavering sense of purpose, motivating him to pursue groundbreaking scientific research despite his deteriorating health.

A legacy that transformed science

Stephen Hawking went on to make discoveries that permanently changed modern physics. His pioneering work demonstrated that black holes are not completely isolated objects but can gradually release energy through a phenomenon that later became known as Hawking radiation. This revolutionary concept challenged long-held scientific assumptions and opened new directions in cosmological research.

Beyond academia, Hawking became a global symbol of intellectual achievement. His bestselling book, A Brief History of Time, introduced millions of readers to complex ideas about the universe in an accessible way. His computerized voice became instantly recognizable around the world, while his determination to continue working despite profound physical disability inspired countless people. Through his scientific brilliance and extraordinary resilience, Hawking left a lasting legacy that extended far beyond the boundaries of physics.