Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England, just after his family relocated to escape the Blitz. An early love of science and mathematics led him to Oxford University, then on to Cambridge, where he began displaying symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Doctors gave him two years to live; he lived 55 more, becoming an international scientific superstar with bestselling books, documentaries, and even guest appearances on television shows. He unlocked secrets of black holes and the origins of the universe, all from his wheelchair, communicating through a speech generating device.

Hawking was a vocal atheist, making his Jewish status rather straightforward. However, his sheer brilliance and perseverance, coupled with his global celebrity, makes him a kvell-worthy figure for humanity at large.