the sound barrier. Science became a more important part of the school curriculum, especially after the Soviets launched Sputnik, the first artificial earth satellite, in 1957. Children of Hawking's generation had a greater opportunity than ever before to be exposed to the exciting and swiftly changing world of Science.
             Stephen did well enough in high school to be accepted at the prestigious Oxford University in 1959. He loved the freedom that accompanied College, but had a hard time applying himself to his studies. Hawking later calculated that he had studied an average of only an hour a day during his three years at Oxford. Stephen wanted to go to graduate school at Cambridge, But to be accepted he would have to pass his finals with the highest possible honors. His test scores were borderline, and Hawking managed to talk his way into Cambridge and entered in 1962 (Boslough).
             One year later, Hawking's life took a drastic turn. His coordination had been off for a while, and he noticed that he had a hard time controlling his hands and fell quite often. He went to his family doctor and after extensive tests, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or motor neurone disease. Hawking recalls:
             "The realization that I had an incurable disease that was likely to kill me in a few years was a bit of a shock. How could something like that happen to me? I was going to lose the use of my body. And they told me that eventually I would essentially have the body of a cabbage but my mind would still be in perfect working order, and I would be unable to communicate with the rest of the world. They said that at the end, only my heart, lungs, and mind would still be in working. After that, either my heart or lungs would give up. Then I will die." (Hawking)
             But something new was about to come into Hawking's life.
             Once at Cambridge, Hawking was required to pick a subject to research for a ...