According to his daughter, Stephen Hawking defied early doubts about his intellect

A blend of brilliance and humor made Stephen Hawking's cameos unforgettable

Throughout his life, he appeared in numerous pop culture moments—from "The Simpsons" to "The Big Bang Theory"—showing his talent for comedy and his love of science outreach. He was the only person to play himself on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," even writing some of his own lines.

Stephen Hawking's children's books help make science fun and accessible for kids

Stephen Hawking co-wrote "George’s Secret Key to the Universe" with his daughter, Lucy, to introduce young readers to big questions about the cosmos. In the first book, the protagonist rides a comet and discovers that black holes aren’t black.

Despite his disability, Stephen Hawking reshaped our understanding of black holes

His theoretical work—especially on black holes emitting radiation, now known as Hawking radiation—challenged long-held ideas. He also brought complex physics to the public through bestselling books like "A Brief History of Time."

'The Theory of Everything' depicts Stephen Hawking through Jane Wilde’s eyes

Stephen Hawking credits Jane Wilde, his first wife, for giving him “something to live for” after his ALS diagnosis. This biographical drama of Hawking’s life, adapted from her memoir, details their relationship and the effects his illness and success in physics had on their marriage.

How Stephen Hawking’s voice became iconic

Stephen Hawking relied on a voice synthesizer after losing the ability to speak due to complications with ALS. Despite technological advances, he refused to change the "Perfect Paul" voice, making it a cornerstone of his public identity.

Defying the odds, Stephen Hawking outlived his ALS diagnosis by over 50 years

When diagnosed with ALS, Stephen Hawking was given two years to live. However, he survived with the progressive neurodegenerative disease for over 50 years, highlighting the disease's variability and complexity.

Stephen Hawking's early rowing days shaped the bold persona for which he became known

Before gaining fame as a physicist, Hawking was a coxswain at Oxford, where the sport helped him find his social footing and develop leadership skills, even as his motor neuron disease began to emerge.

With his dry wit, Stephen Hawking warns of AI dangers and explains imaginary time

In this comedic interview with John Oliver, Stephen Hawking discusses his groundbreaking work in theoretical physics, his views on AI, and Oliver's chances of dating Charlize Theron in the multiverse—all with his trademark voice and humorous tone.

Stephen Hawking's final message

Famous cosmologist Stephen Hawking—who lived for half a century after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease—delivered a final speech just before he died in 2018. In the video, Hawking talks about the importance of science and reason in...

Stephen Hawking on the need to explore space

Should we be content with being cosmic couch potatoes? In this interview, the late Professor Stephen Hawking lays out the case for continued and increased human space exploration, despite its cost and challenges.

No one showed up to the party for time travelers organized by Stephen Hawking

In 2009, Hawking hosted a reception but only sent out invitations afterward, hoping that time travelers from the future would attend and prove time travel possible. He later joked it was "experimental evidence" that time travel doesn’t exist.

Bill Nye did not have children for fear of passing on ataxia

In his 2017 documentary, Nye revealed the congenital, neurological condition on his father's side of the family, which is characterized by a lack of balance and problems with fine motor movement. He has since learned he likely does not have the disease, though both his siblings have shown symptoms.

The Lucasian Chair is among the most prestigious academic positions in science

Once held by icons like Newton, Dirac, and Hawking, the position was founded in 1663. "Star Trek" imagined the Lucasian Chair’s future holder as the android Data, cementing its mythos across scientific and science fiction realms.

Imagining how genetics works in 'Harry Potter' and how muggle-born Hermione is a witch

Dr. Robert Pyatt, director of Sanford Health’s medical genetics lab, talks through real-world genetics scenarios in the Harry Potter series, from the Weasley's red hair and freckles to why Hermione, a witch, could be born to "muggle"—or nonmagical—parents.

Hysterical strength allows someone to lift a car off their child

When the body responds to an acute crisis—say a family member trapped under a car—people can sometimes perform seemingly superhuman feats. This is more than an urban legend: In 2012, a 22 year-old-woman lifted a vehicle off her father, and seven years earlier another man lifted a vehicle off a trapped cyclist. Yet scientists are still unraveling details about why this can occur.

Watch a firsthand account of Hubble's first service mission to repair its faulty mirror

Hubble senior project scientist David Leckrone recalls initial public ridicule over the microscopic manufacturing error that put NASA's reputation at stake. In this behind-the-scenes interview, he breaks down the innovative fix deployed by space shuttle astronauts during Hubble's first servicing mission.

Some 'Simpsons' fans believe the show exposed Jeffrey Epstein's private island

In a 2000 episode, Homer Simpson is captured by a cabal of powerful men and taken to a private island. After escaping, he posts online that "Some crazy creeps on an island somewhere are secretly running the world." Some believe the episode is referencing the private island operated by convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. In 2019, Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre alleged that she gave "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening a foot massage at Epstein's insistence.

A 13-year-old was declared brain-dead yet went through puberty on a ventilator

This podcast details Jahi McMath's highly controversial case. She was declared brain-dead in 2013 following surgical complications, but her family, citing religious beliefs, kept her connected to a ventilator for the five years that followed. She continued to grow and went through puberty before being issued a second death certificate in New Jersey.

Twain claimed to possess 'mental telegraphy'

In an 1891 essay, the writer claimed to possess psychic powers. It’s something that seemingly supported by his mother and his own death: Twain predicted he would die the day after Halley’s Comet returned in 1910, which did indeed happen.

Why Stephen King bought the van that nearly killed him

Back in 1999, writer Stephen King was struck by a vehicle near his home in Bangor, Maine. It's a story he recounts in his memoir "On Writing," though that sober-minded text doesn't reveal a fascinating bit of trivia: King initially bought the van intending to obliterate it with a sledgehammer. King did end up purchasing the vehicle, though he didn't destroy it himself. This article uncovers why.

How Alzheimer's caregivers get pulled into their loved one's reality

Caregivers, most often children and spouses, do not just witness a family member's cognitive decline—they also often become drawn into it, navigating a world in which the typical rules of time, order, or logical continuity may not apply.

The Wrights were inspired by a toy helicopter as kids

The pair tinkered with toys and dreamed of building a flying machine at a young age. Founders Podcast host David Senra read David McCullough’s 2015 book on the duo and distilled key insights for leaders to take from their work and lives, focusing on their relentless resourcefulness.

A teenage Springsteen struggled with his father

Springsteen's father didn't understand why his son was interested in pursuing a music career, leading to a tense relationship that was often exacerbated by his father's struggles with mental illness. Embed: Podcast

Clever Hans was a 1900s horse that was believed to be able to solve math equations, tell time, and read and comprehend German, until a psychology student discovered how he got his answers.

Few realized Connee Boswell used a wheelchair

The original American girl group, the Boswell Sisters, toyed with jazz standards by experimenting with challenging renditions. The group became a popular radio act during the 1920s and 1930s, with few of their fans aware that group leader Connee Boswell used a wheelchair.

A guided tour of Studio 8H, the home of ‘SNL’

Fans of “Saturday Night Live” might be familiar with Studio 8H, which has only changed slightly over the show’s five decades. This video tour from Architectural Digest provides access you won’t find on the weekly broadcast, with cast members Heidi Gardner, Chloe Fineman, and Ego Nwodim walking you through makeup, dressing rooms, and more.

Against his wishes, Albert Einstein's brain was removed before his cremation, and the pathologist responsible stored it for decades in mason jars within a beer cooler.

SpongeBob exemplifies Aristotle's philosophy for living well because he understands that happiness doesn't come from external factors like money, recognition, or power.

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.

According to the physics of black holes, our 4D reality may be a hologram—a projection of information coded on a 2D surface on the edge of the universe.

After NASA's Voyager 1 captured Earth as a single pixel as it left the solar system in 1990, astronomer Carl Sagan used the image to reflect on humanity's fragility and the responsibility to protect 'the only world we've ever known.'

After her fellow cult members tried to kill her with an LSD-infused hamburger, one member of the Manson Family, the murderous cult led by Charles Manson, decided to testify against the group's leader.

In 2009, the nation was gripped by the story of a missing young boy who was believed to be floating over Colorado in a homemade balloon, until it was revealed that he was at home the whole time.

Dorothy's famous entrance into Oz in 'The Wizard of Oz' relied on analog tricks, including a body double and sepia-toned paint, as much as it did on technology

Stars appear to twinkle because turbulence in the motion of molecules in Earth's atmosphere causes light to bend and wiggle rapidly on its way to the surface—a phenomenon called scintillation.

The history of many kitchen appliances involves unexpected discoveries and applications, including wartime radar turned hamster defroster and replacing an 'ice king' with heat-stealing boxes.

Comedy legend Catherine O'Hara, star of 'Schitt's Creek' and 'Home Alone,' quit 'Saturday Night Live' after just one week to return to her old job.

The animatronic shark from Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws,' the first modern blockbuster, was a complex underwater apparatus called 'Bruce.'

English mathematician Ada Lovelace wrote the first computer algorithm a century before computers existed and hypothesized that computing devices would one day be able to compose music—foreseeing the generative AI systems of today.

Many legends about George Washington, including his supposed wooden teeth and the story of cutting down the cherry tree, lack evidence.

SpaceX's S-1 or 'prospectus' revealed many previously unknown details about the company, including its unprofitability despite doing $18.7B in revenue in 2025, exactly how many voting shares Elon Musk will have in the company (roughly 85%), and more.

One disco producer saw 'Star Wars' four times on its opening weekend and was so inspired that he recorded the album 'Star Wars and Other Intergalactic Funk,' which produced a chart-topping single.

American dance legend Martha Graham, sometimes called 'the Picasso of dance,' refused to perform at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and conceived the piece 'Chronicle' in response to the experience.

Browse a detailed visual analysis of over 200,000 similes—comparisons that often use 'like' or 'as'—from popular fiction to see how frequently writers the same idiomatic expressions.

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

Fast-casual restaurant Chili's is experiencing a resurgence, with its parent company recently reporting a nearly 32% increase in sales, thanks to passionate Gen Z fans on TikTok.

Mark Twain spent decades feuding with the US Postal Service, convinced its costs and regulations were bureaucratic overreach.

Legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the SC Johnson headquarters in Wisconsin, aiming to make a cathedral-like workplace

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.