Spreading Science to the Masses
Few scientists in history have been able to connect with the general public as successfully as Hawking. He introduced generations of readers to cosmology and fundamental scientific ideas with his well-loved book A Brief History of Time.
The likes of Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Stephen Hawking can take real-world research and transform it into something that can enthrall both kids and adults. Before I first read Carl Sagan's Cosmos, I personally had hardly any understanding of the utter grandeur of the universe. With his writings, talks, and television appearances, Hawking accomplished something as impressive.
Beyond the wide-eyed enthusiasm for actual science, his studies and public outreach assisted in igniting the imaginations of numerous science fiction writers. Books that Stephen Hawking influenced in any manner, big or small, are piled high on our shelves. A new generation of scientists and authors will be inspired by those stories in turn.
