The public
ballot for tickets to Professor Stephen Hawking’s thanksgiving service opened
Saturday with visitors from the future welcome to apply.The theoretical
physicist who captured the imagination of millions around the world died on
M
arch 14 at the age of 76.
His ashes
are being interred on June 15 at London’s Westminster Abbey, by the graves of
fellow scientific giants Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.
The
world-renowned cosmologist’s three children Robert, Lucy and Tim are offering
up to 1,000 free tickets to the public through a ballot system, run by the
Stephen Hawking Foundation.
Applicants
need to give their birth date but eagle-eyed fans of the man who dedicated his
life’s work to unravelling the mysteries of the universe spotted that it can be
any day up to December 31, 2038.
London
travel blogger IanVisits was among those who noticed the quirk that allows
people born more than 20 years into the future to apply.
“Professor
Hawking once threw a party for time travellers, to see if any would turn up if
he posted the invite after the party,” he wrote.
“None did,
but it seems perfect that the memorial website allows people born in the future
to attend the service.
“Look out
for time travellers at the abbey.”
Potential
applicants from the future or otherwise — are forewarned not to apply if they
cannot arrange their own transport and any necessary visas.
The service
is set to be attended by Hawking’s family, friends and colleagues.
“We are so
grateful to Westminster Abbey for offering us the privilege of a service of
thanksgiving for the extraordinary life of our father and for giving him such a
distinguished final resting place,” said Lucy Hawking.
Propelled to
stardom by his 1988 book “A Brief History of Time”, an unlikely worldwide
bestseller, Hawking’s genius and wit won over fans from far beyond the rarefied
world of astrophysics.
Westminster
Abbey will also be open to the public free of charge after the service so
people can pay their respects at his grave.
John Hall,
the Dean of Westminster, said: “The service of thanksgiving for the life and
work of Stephen Hawking will celebrate not only his remarkable achievements as
a scientist, but also his character and endurance through his years living with
a devastating illness.”
Hawking’s
death triggered a flood of tributes from Queen Elizabeth II to NASA, reflecting
his impact both as a scientist and for his refusal to give up in the face of
crippling motor neurone disease.
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