AboutStephen-ABriefHistoryofMineStephenWilliamHawkingwasbornon8January1942(300yearsafterthedeathofGalileo)inOxford,England
Hisparents'housewasinnorthLondon,butduringtheSecondWorldWarOxfordwasconsideredasaferplacetohavebabies
Whenhewaseight,hisfamilymovedtoStAlbans,atownabout20milesnorthofLondon
AtelevenStephenwenttoStAlbansSchool,andthenontoUniversityCollege,Oxford,hisfather'soldcollege
StephenwantedtodoMathematics,althoughhisfatherwouldhavepreferredmedicine
MathematicswasnotavailableatUniversityCollege,sohedidPhysicsinstead
AfterthreeyearsandnotverymuchworkhewasawardedafirstclasshonoursdegreeinNaturalScience
StephenthenwentontoCambridgetodoresearchinCosmology,therebeingno-oneworkinginthatareainOxfordatthetime
HissupervisorwasDenisSciama,althoughhehadhopedtogetFredHoylewhowasworkinginCambr