Clip of Stephen Hawking speaking without his voice synthesizer in the 1970s goes viral
This is the first time many people have heard his voice
Featured Image Credit: Santi Visalli/Bruno Vincent/Getty Images
A rare clip of Stephen Hawking speaking without his voice synthesizer has gone viral.
The video is doing the rounds on social media which shows the theoretical physicist talking without his vocal aid in the 1970s.
Hawking is best known for his Big Bang Theory to explain how the universe began and is regarded as being one of the most brilliant minds in his field.
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In his personal life, the scientist lived with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for most of his life, which is a fatal type of motor neurone disease.
The condition causes progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain and Hawking became disabled due to its progression.
His speech was also affected and he became known for the distinct tone of his voice synthesizer which helped him communicate.
The voice aid worked by Hawking squeezing his cheek muscles and blinking, which activated an infrared switch.
From there, he was able to scan through and select characters on the screen to speak and compose speeches as well as use the internet and send emails.
Now a clip of Hawking before he got his voice synthesizer has gone viral after being posted on Facebook.
The physicist can be heard talking in an interview with a translator repeating what he says to the interviewer.
The footage was uploaded by History in Pictures, who wrote: “Before using his famous voice synthesizer, Stephen Hawking continued to communicate verbally despite the progression of ALS, which he was diagnosed with in 1963.
“By the late 1970s, his speech had become increasingly difficult to understand due to the effects of the disease. As his condition worsened, a tracheotomy in 1985, following a severe bout of pneumonia, left him unable to speak altogether.
“This left him to adopt a voice synthesizer in the early 1980s, which became his primary means of communication and an iconic aspect of his public persona.”
But he didn’t let it hold him back, in fact, Hawking was known for having a great sense of humour about it.
Taking to social media, people shared moments where Hawking had used his robotic voice for comedic purposes.
On Reddit one person said: “I'll never forget when he said ‘Push me, and then just touch me, 'till I can get my, satisfaction’.”
And another added: “Stephen Hawking said his voice synthesiser made him sound like a Dalek (with an American accent) according to his archive papers.”