The wheelchair of the theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking went up on the auction block and sold for almost $400,000
The motorized wheelchair that belonged to Stephen Hawking was used in the 1980s and 1990s by the physicist and was initially believed to sell for $10,000-$15,000. However, the final price was far more than that: $392,000.
The proceeds from the sale of the wheelchair will be donated to the Motor Neurone Disease Association and to the Stephen Hawking Foundation.
Other items that belonged to Hawking were also sold during the auction.
For example, Hawking’s 1965 Cambridge University thesis, “Properties of Expanding Universes,” sold for $767,000, a collection of medals and award sold for $392,00, while a bomber jacket once owned by the physicist received $51,855.
Other items present at the auction included personal copies of the British physicist’s papers (for example, a copy of his 1974 article “Black Hole Explosions?” in which he predicted that black holes would release blackbody radiation, known as Hawking Radiation).
Lastly, a copy of his best-selling “A Brief History of Time,” side with a thumbprint sold for more than $89,000.
The auction also sold items belonging to Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton. In total, the auction brought over $2.3 million.
Source: connectstatesboro.com
