He was an inspiration to everyone. I'm sure he proved a lot of science stuff; but for me the greatest thing he proved was that life is always worth living.
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However, for all his fame and impact on theoretical physics, his field’s most famous award eluded Hawking throughout his life. So why did one of science’s most iconic pioneers never win a Nobel Prize in Physics?
The answer — unlike quantum mechanics — is relatively straightforward.
Theoretical scientific discoveries have to be confirmed by observational data before there’s a possibility of winning a Nobel. And it’s somewhat difficult to observe a black hole.