I planned on learning the difference in what an infinite universe would have compared to a finite universe when composing theories, although the thought of an infinite universe still baffles me. From all this research I wanted to be able to understand why Stephen Hawking's theory has been the most widely accepted. I also was interested in why it hasn't and may never be proven. The majority of my paper and research is centered only on Stephen Hawking, but other ideas are mentioned. After vast research and interpretation of Hawking's studies I am still left with the question: "How did the universe come into existence?".
Before getting into the works of Stephen Hawking, you must first know who he is. Stephen William Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, which is exactly three hundred years after the death of Galileo. As a child Hawking lived in Oxford and St. Alban's, both located in England. He became very interested in mathematics and science at a young age. As he grew older he began to love the sciences, but his father insisted that he study for a degree in mathematics (Donaldson 1-3). When he enrolled in Oxford University he intended on getting a degree in chemistry, but this was not an available field so he studied natural science instead. After three years Hawking received a first class honours degree. Despite graduating with exceptional marks he didn't like the Oxford environment. He felt that too much was expected with very little work. Professors and students alike were supposed to know everything without researching or studying. It was expected that you either knew something or you didn't, but studying shouldn't be an option (Schaefer 2).
While at college Hawking began having spells where he would get dizzy and eventually this led to him falling over. At first he ignored the abnormal actions that were taking place, but when they began to get more and more severe he decided to visit a doctor.