World-renowned physicist and author of, "A Brief History of Time: From Big Bang to Black Holes" has died in his Cambridge home at the age of 76. As the world mourns, many look back on all that Hawking achieved, as well as numerous barriers he broke in his lifetime.

Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , or ALS, at the young age of 21. ALS is a neurodegenerative disease in which the muscles are weakened and can significantly inhibit physical human functions. Many of those who suffer from ALS are diagnosed in their '50s and do not live longer than five years afterward. Due to his diagnosis at such a young age, doctors predicted that Hawking's disease would soon kill him, and gave him a rough estimate of two years to live. However, Hawking defied the odds again and again, though the disease did take its toll on his body and physical functions. Hawking was eventually confined to a wheelchair in 1969 and has relied predominantly on technology to accomplish everyday tasks, including communicating through a speech-generating device that recorded the minute motion of his cheek muscle. The longevity of his life while living with ALS is definitely considered an outlier amongst others suffering from the disease, but Stephen Hawking proved he was no ordinary man in more ways than just one.

Hawking became prominent as an astrophysicist and cosmologist during the 1970's, working with mathematician and fellow intellectual Roger Penrose to theorize about the creation of the universe in connection with Albert Einstein's theory of relativity. The pair argued that the universe, if following a standard model of physical cosmology as well as following Einstein's general theory of relativity, must have begun as a significantly small point in the center of a black hole. Hawking's research with black holes did not stop there, as his theory in which black holes emit radiation has become widely accepted among physicists and cosmologists today.

Stephen Hawking perhaps gained most of his recognition when his book, "A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes" was published in 1988. The book explained the origins and history of the universe, as well as explanations of black holes, in terms in which the everyday person could grasp. His ability to make his excessive knowledge of physics and cosmology accessible to the public paid off, as his book has sold over 10 million copies in over 40 languages.

Over the years, Hawking continued to publish his theories and explanations for the origins of the universe, as well as the future of humanity. In November 2017, Hawking gave a presentation in Beijing in which he estimated humans have less than 600 years to live on Earth due to a combination of immense population growth and energy depletion. This fascination with the future of humanity among the cosmos led him, as well as other prominent scientific figures, to fund "Breakthrough Initiatives." The project's main objective is to restore the search for life in the universe.

Born on the same day as Galileo's death 300 years ago, and passing on the same day as Albert Einstein's birthday, Stephen Hawking's life was immersed in science. Despite his battle with ALS, he continued to make great strides in the subjects of physics and cosmology, all with a sense of empathy and humanity. According to Hawking, "It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love."