Stephen Hawking was:

A scientist

A genius

An inspiration

When Stephen Hawking was told at the age of twenty-one that he only had a few years to live, it made him more determined than ever to find out the answers to life's big questions.

Diagnosed with motor-neurone disease as a young man, Stephen defied the odds and lived to the age of 76 - and his scientific discoveries changed the world.

From building model aeroplanes as a child to travelling all over the globe and experiencing a zero-gravity flight, Stephen Hawking's life was extraordinary from beginning to end.