in one thousand nine hundred eighty published a brief history of time the book sold millions of copies and was translated into dozens of languages and stephen hawking became a high profile public figure. he used his popularity to warn of the dangers of nuclear war and climate change. he saw the public debate to search for answers to other pressing questions of our time. hawking was actively interested in peace between israel and the palestinians. he called the u.s. led invasion of iraq in two thousand and three a war crime even inspired a hollywood film about his relationship with his first wife. hawking received numerous awards and honors for his research and his efforts to open science to a broader audience. in two thousand and seven he fulfilled a dream when he went on a zero gravity flight it was the first time in thirty seven years that he could