Galileo Galilei (2/15/1564-1/8/1642)

Isaac Newton (12/25/1642-3/20/1726)

James Clerk Maxwell (6/13/1831-11/5/1879)

Albert Einstein (3/14/1879-4/18/1955)

Stephen Hawking (1/8/1942-3/14/2018)

Linkage of Souls of Scientific Geniuses? Stephen Hawking died today on Pi-Day— this transcendental number 3.14 resembles the mirror image of PIE. Read five articles in the New York Times honoring Hawking, surprised to learn that he was born exactly 300 years when Galileo died. Since Einstein was born March 14, 1879, Hawking died exactly 139 years since Einstein's birthday— strange coincidence? "Round up the usual suspects!"— lined up in a row Galileo, Newton, Maxwell, Einstein, Hawking— they've not broken any laws, only made them. Explore the mystery of these five scientific geniuses— Galileo, father of modern science, whose telescope discovered craters on our Moon and moons of Jupiter. Galileo died 1642, the year Newton was born whose Principia laid the foundation of physics, explaining gravity and planetary motion. Maxwell's equations for electromagnetism is considered the "second great unification in physics after Newton". He died 1879, when Einstein was born. Einstein's Theory of Relativity explained the perturbation of Mercury & bending of light by gravity where Newtonian physics fell short. Regarded as the greatest scientist since Einstein, Hawking is not afraid of black holes, saying people fear to be gobbled up, but "I am their master". Diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease that kills in 4 years, Hawking surprised doctors by living over half a century. Such is power of mind over matter when one has a goal. When I wonder about these linkage of scientific souls, a Zen Master would whack me thirty blows and say: "Have a cup of tea and a piece of apple pie!"             Peter Y. Chou             Mountain View, 3-14-2018, Pi-Day