The first died on a day like today, in 1642. The second was born on a day like today, three centuries later, in 1942. While Galileo Galilei , from his native Florence, he shook the ecclesiastical society with his advanced astronomical observations, which he published and later had to contradict to avoid death; Hawking, British astrophysicist, he stands today as the main voice opposed to religious theories thanks to his research and theories regarding the origin of the universe. Both brilliant minds come together, overcoming the distance imposed by the years, and constitute part of the history of science, a history that has not yet been written.
It is curious that the death and birth of two characters like Galileo Galilei and Stephen Hawking have coincided in dates of occurrence, perhaps as a secret message that everything is cyclical, as postulated by the great Florentine astronomer, mathematician and philosopher. His main work Dialogues on the main systems of the world (1633) establishes a new and revolutionary vision about our solar system, proposes the heliocentric theory (the sun as the center of the planetary system), the phases of the moon and a long etcetera, based on observations made over many years with the telescope , one of his main contributions to humanity.
Three hundred years later, in the city of Oxford (England), Stephen Hawking was born , who at 70 years of age is the most influential and widespread physicist, cosmologist and scientific popularizer of the 20-21 centuries. His theories about the origin of the universe, the big bang and particularly the composition and evolution of black holes; they are among the fundamental scientific issues of today, facing criticism of all kinds.
Hawking He is also an example of self-improvement, since he suffers from a paralyzing disease, called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which prevents him from moving and communicating on his own, actions that he performs through complex prostheses and devices that generate voice and nerve impulses. . None of this prevented him from graduating with a doctorate in physics from the prestigious University of Cambridge.
Two teachers with brilliant minds who illuminated the scientific development of humanity with their intelligence, inexhaustible curiosity and the conviction that there is nothing definitive, that doubt is the best tool to keep learning.
LINKS:
About Galileo Galilei
http://www.mdzol.com/nota/442050-galileo-galilei-a-misunderstood-astronomer/
http://www.ojocientifico.com/2011/09/26/life-of-galileo-galilei-a-repressed-genius
About Stephen Hawking
http://www.hawking.org.uk/ (in English)
http://www.panorama.com.ve/portal/app/vista/detalle_noticia.php?id=48770 (in Spanish)