--- title: Stephen Hawking Thesis Crashes Cambridge University Website description: Stephen Hawking wrote his Ph.D. thesis all the way back in 1966. But it's still generating buzz more than half-a-century later. canonical: https://time.com/4993957/stephen-hawking-thesis-cambridge/ author: Jamie Ducharme article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-10-23T19:06:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T02:20:19.000Z article:section: Science og:title: Stephen Hawking's Thesis Is So Popular It Crashed Cambridge's Website og:description: More than 60,000 people read it right away og:url: https://time.com/4993957/stephen-hawking-thesis-cambridge/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt818da80d5fa097cb/69888ed4e20a870800a90612/stephen-hawking-life-space.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3033 og:image:height: 1706 og:image:alt: EE British Academy Film Awards 2015 - Red Carpet Arrivals og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Stephen Hawking's Thesis Is So Popular It Crashed Cambridge's Website twitter:description: More than 60,000 people read it right away twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt818da80d5fa097cb/69888ed4e20a870800a90612/stephen-hawking-life-space.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 00:46 video:published: 2017-03-20 section: science topics: Stephen Hawking, U.S. immigration welcome, Donald Trump presidency, climate change, Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, celebrity interview genre: interview, news tones: reflective, critical, concerned emotions: concern (medium), admiration (low), apprehension (medium) sentiment: neutral audience: science enthusiasts, news readers, political observers, climate advocates people: Stephen Hawking, Piers Morgan, Donald Trump, Scott Pruitt organizations: Good Morning Britain, Environmental Protection Agency content_suitability: politics [00:08-00:46] transcript_source: automatic transcription transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Stephen Hawking's Thesis Is So Popular It Crashed Cambridge's Website > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. Senior correspondent Justin Worland goes beyond traditional climate coverage to connect the energy transition to the bigger decisions reshaping companies, markets and society. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=be3f8bf2-cf69-4e76-85bc-6865ac078fea&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Stephen Hawking Says He Fears He Would Not Be Welcome in the United States [Watch (HLS stream): Stephen Hawking Says He Fears He Would Not Be Welcome in the United States](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/IjROaynF.m3u8) (0:46)  _Published 2017-03-20. British physicist fears he may not be welcome in the United States. In an interview with Piers Morgan, he discusses the Trump presidency and America._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary British physicist Stephen Hawking tells Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain that he fears he may not be welcome in the United States, despite liking the country and having friends there. The interview touches on President Donald Trump, whom Hawking previously criticized as a demagogue during the election. Hawking now focuses on climate change and encouraged Trump to replace Scott Pruitt at the Environmental Protection Agency. ## Key points - Stephen Hawking says he has many friends and colleagues in the United States and still likes and admires the country in many ways. (00:14) - Hawking says he fears he may not be welcome in the United States. (00:14) - Hawking spoke in an interview with Piers Morgan for Good Morning Britain. (00:08) - Hawking previously called Donald Trump a demagogue during the election. (00:24) - Hawking holds the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (00:28) - Hawking is now focused on climate change. (00:28) - Hawking encouraged Trump to replace Scott Pruitt at the Environmental Protection Agency. (00:33) - Hawking says climate change is one of the great dangers we face and one we can prevent. (00:38) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:08] Hawking's concern about U.S. welcome. The segment introduces Hawking as a celebrated scientist who thinks U.S. doors might not be open to him. - [00:08 to 00:24] Interview remarks on America and Trump. Hawking tells Piers Morgan he likes America but fears he may not be welcome there. - [00:24 to 00:46] Criticism of Trump and climate focus. Hawking recalls calling Trump a demagogue and urges action on climate change and the EPA. ## Key quotes - [00:14] Stephen Hawking: "I have many friends and colleagues there, and it is still a place I like and admire in many ways, but I fear that I may not be welcome." - [00:38] Stephen Hawking: "climate change is one of the great dangers we face, and it's one we can prevent." ## Questions this video answers - Does Stephen Hawking fear he may not be welcome in the United States? [00:14] - What did Stephen Hawking say about Donald Trump during the election? [00:24] - What did Stephen Hawking encourage Trump to do regarding the Environmental Protection Agency? [00:33] - What does Stephen Hawking say about climate change? [00:38] ## Content suitability - politics [00:08-00:46]: Discusses the Trump presidency and criticism of the president.  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Updated: Dec 13, 2023 2:20 AM UTCPublished: Oct 23, 2017 7:06 PM UTC British physicist fears he may not be welcome in the United States. In an interview with Piers Morgan, he discusses the Trump presidency and America.  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Updated: Dec 13, 2023 2:20 AM UTCPublished: Oct 23, 2017 7:06 PM UTC [Stephen Hawking](http://time.com/4045560/stephen-hawking-quotes/) wrote his Ph.D. thesis all the way back in 1966\. But it’s still generating buzz more than half-a-century later. The physicist’s thesis about expanding universes, which he wrote at Cambridge University as a 24-year-old postgraduate student, was made freely available online for the first time ever Monday morning, and immediately incited a frenzy. More than 60,000 people have already read it, [the BBC reports](http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-41721585), enough to periodically crash the university’s website. The work was previously available through Cambridge’s library, but readers had to visit the facility in person or pay about $85 for a scanned copy. “Anyone, anywhere in the world should have free, unhindered access to not just my research, but to the research of every great and enquiring mind across the spectrum of human understanding,” [Hawking said in a statment on Cambridge’s website.](http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/step-inside-the-mind-of-the-young-stephen-hawking-as-his-phd-thesis-goes-online-for-first-time) Hawking, who is now 75 and has lived with ALS for more than 50 years, gained some new fans in 2014, with the release of _The_ _Theory of Everything_, a critically acclaimed film based on the scientist’s life. 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