Los Angeles, CA – December 3, 2014 – The just-released film The Theory of Everything portrays the early life of one of the most famous physicists in history, Stephen Hawking, based on the memoir of his first wife.  By now, almost everyone in the world is familiar with his heart-rending descent into total loss of muscular control and ability to speak or write in a conventional way.  His book, A Brief History of Time, has sold 10 million copies, is an inspiring testament to the ability of people to overcome any challenge to achieve greatness. Last year, his autobiography, My Brief History, was published.

The fuller story of his life beyond what the movie covers and a layman's explanation of his ideas can be found in Extraordinary People: Real Life Lessons on What It Takes to Achieve Success by nationally-known freelance business journalist Scott S. Smith. In it he discusses:

*How the best thing that ever happened to Hawking was not being able to study with the greatest living physicist, Fred Hoyle, at the University of Cambridge, due to his weak grades.

*His refusal to admit the seriousness of his illness, which contributed to his divorce (the film does not mention that he then married his nurse and eventually divorced her).

*The resistance to his ideas among leading physicists, including his Big Bang Theory of the origin of the universe that is now widely accepted.

*How he upset conventional wisdom further with the discovery of Hawking Radiation, which contradicts the belief that black holes (collapsed stars) allow nothing to escape.

*His other controversial ideas, like the No Boundary Proposal, Black Hole Entropy, Primordial Black Holes, and Quantum Fluctuations.

*His willingness to attack his own proposals, even the Big Bang Theory.

*Lessons from his life that have application to other careers, such as using disabilities to an advantage and being open to new ideas that seem truly incredible.

Extraordionary People reviews the lives of 21 famous people to find what they can teach us about achieving greatness.

Smith is available for interviews from 6 am to 9 pm Pacific seven days. Contact: cell 310/254-4051 (landline for phone interview 310/659-3567) or scottstanleymith1950@gmail.com