Smart people everywhere celebrate Stephen Hawking's 75th birthday

d Like Follow Follow Smart people everywhere celebrate Stephen Hawking's 75th birthday 5.8k SHARES Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WHAT'S THIS? IMAGE: JOEL RYAN/INVISION/AP 2016%2f09%2f16%2ff5%2fhttpi.amz.mshcdn.comjhvrkcpdazmm0pcjkudjpgvalc4250x.d1cc2 BY KEITH WAGSTAFF 2 HOURS AGO Back in 1963, when Stephen Hawking was 21 years old, doctors gave him two to five years to live after he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). On Sunday, the world's most famous theoretical physicist turned 75 years old. SEE ALSO: The 'Star Trek' cast and Stephen Hawking team up for the stuff of sci-fi dreams The man has accomplished a lot in his life: groundbreaking research on black holes, a bestselling book, and continued support for ALS research and awareness. It's no surprise that organizations like NASA decided to pay tribute to the great scientist. Happy 75th birthday, Stephen Hawking, who changed how we see the universe. https://t.co/fC3csIsXGZ He explains need for space exploration: pic.twitter.com/D9zzCoFbAx — NASA (@NASA) January 8, 2017 Happy Birthday from Kennedy Space Center to one of the most brilliant minds of our time, Stephen Hawking! Stephen turns the big 75 today. pic.twitter.com/OQ4i8W0zHX — NASA Kennedy / KSC (@NASAKennedy) January 8, 2017 Near the Idaho-Oregon border, amateur scientists in a group called Near Space Education and Research (NEAR) launched a balloon into the stratosphere to celebrate Hawking's birthday. Want some dramatic music to imagine flying through the cosmos? Spotify came up with a Stephen Hawking-themed playlist to mark his special day. Happy 75th birthday to one of the most inspiring scientists of our time: Stephen Hawking https://t.co/B6w81TEljB Photo by @esa & @NASA pic.twitter.com/oz1yB9Yyam — Spotify (@Spotify) January 8, 2017 Plenty of other smart people decided to show him some love. Happy 75th birthday, Stephen Hawking! pic.twitter.com/gtLmutVI04 — Brian Greene (@bgreene) January 8, 2017 Happy birthday Stephen Hawking! A wonderful inspiration, and one of the most strong-willed people I've ever met.https://t.co/hAn4mXOR0y — Sean Carroll (@seanmcarroll) January 8, 2017 Happy Birthday to Prof Stephen Hawking, born #OnThisDay in 1942. Sit back and listen to his wonderful 2013 lecture https://t.co/wWxhRnSiap — Science Museum (@sciencemuseum) January 8, 2017 Happy birthday to Stephen Hawking - role model to many! #BeatingTheOdds — Sophie Christiansen (@SChristiansen87) January 8, 2017 Despite the fact that Hawking is getting deeper into his 70s, he hasn't disappeared from the public eye. In 2014, he was the subject of the movie The Theory of Everything, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. Over the last year, he made headlines for stressing the importance of space travel and joking with the Star Trek cast. Happy birthday, Professor Hawking. You deserve all the praise in the universe. BONUS: Watch clouds move above Saturn's largest moon in new NASA video