Renowned for his work on black holes and the origins of the cosmos, Stephen Hawking is famous for bringing esoteric physics concepts to the masses through his best-selling books, including “A Brief History of Time,” which sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Hawking titled his hourlong lecture, “A Brief History of Mine” in a medical center.

The eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who spent his career decoding the universe and even experienced weightlessness, is urging the continuation of space exploration -- for humanity's sake.

God did not create the universe and the "Big Bang" was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics, Stephen Hawking argues in his book. "Heaven is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark", said Hawking in an interview.