Stephen Hawking had a savage sense of humour, Twitterati share instances

Stephen Hawking had a remarkable sense of humour. (Source: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver/YouTube)

Renowned physicists Stephen Hawking passed away on March 14. Hailed as one of the best-known theoretical physicists since Einstein, Hawking wrote lucidly and extensively on the mysteries of space, time and black holes in his book, A Brief History of Time. The book went on become an international best seller, making him one of science’s biggest celebrities. Hawking suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS since he 21 but stunned doctors by living with the normally fatal illness for more than 50 years.

As is evident, his physical limitations could do little to deter his brilliant mind. It is also safe to say it also had no implications on his wit and humour. Hawking had famously said, “Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny,” and it seems like he truly believed in it. He had a remarkable sense of humour that often shone through in his interviews. A day after his demise, people on social media are sharing instances where Hawking has been “savage”. His interview with John Oliver perhaps remains one of the most enduring reminders of the same. Oliver himself shared video of their interview and wrote, “Stephen Hawking was a brilliant man, but he was also an incredibly funny man. It was a huge privilege to waste some of his time, and I’ll never forget the twinkle in his eye here.”

In case you are curious, here is a sample. During the interview Oliver asked Hawking , “You’ve stated that you believe that there could be an infinite number of parallel universes. Does that mean there is a universe out there where I am smarter than you?” To this, the professor replied, “Yes, and also a universe where you are funny.”

Here some of these tweets.

I aspire to be the level of savage Stephen Hawking was pic.twitter.com/A7D1iupJTZ

— Tin (@realpainindass) March 14, 2018

rip stephen hawking, a brilliant mind and deliverer of sick burns pic.twitter.com/v7vQZXHiKJ

— Nicole Zhu (@nicolelzhu) March 14, 2018

rip stephen hawking but he was a savage??? pic.twitter.com/pr4AiOjGj5

— moby dick (@JoeLeoJoeL) March 14, 2018

RIP Stephen Hawking: professor, scientist, savage pic.twitter.com/cv78dpzeif

— just call me T (@AthenaOrATeena) March 14, 2018

I love how savage Stephen hawking is lmao pic.twitter.com/uF8Z7FVuwt

— aparna (@nemseis) July 27, 2017

Stephen Hawking was a brilliant man, but he was also an incredibly funny man. It was a huge privilege to waste some of his time, and I’ll never forget the twinkle in his eye here …https://t.co/xUmm2qIAiN

— John Oliver (@iamjohnoliver) March 14, 2018