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| Stephen Hawking PhD's popularity crashes Cambridge University website | Stephen Hawking PhD's popularity crashes Cambridge University website |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Demand for Stephen Hawking's PhD thesis has intermittently crashed part of Cambridge University's website as physics fans flock to read his work. | Demand for Stephen Hawking's PhD thesis has intermittently crashed part of Cambridge University's website as physics fans flock to read his work. |
| Prof Hawking's 1966 thesis "Properties of expanding universes" was made freely available for the first time on the publications section of university's website at 00:01 BST. | Prof Hawking's 1966 thesis "Properties of expanding universes" was made freely available for the first time on the publications section of university's website at 00:01 BST. |
| More than 30,000 have so far accessed his work as a 24-year-old postgraduate. | More than 30,000 have so far accessed his work as a 24-year-old postgraduate. |
| Prof Hawking said by making it available he hoped to "inspire people". | Prof Hawking said by making it available he hoped to "inspire people". |
| He added: "Anyone, anywhere in the world should have free, unhindered access to not just my research, but to the research of every great and enquiring mind across the spectrum of human understanding. | He added: "Anyone, anywhere in the world should have free, unhindered access to not just my research, but to the research of every great and enquiring mind across the spectrum of human understanding. |
| "It's wonderful to hear how many people have already shown an interest in downloading my thesis - hopefully they won't be disappointed now that they finally have access to it!" | "It's wonderful to hear how many people have already shown an interest in downloading my thesis - hopefully they won't be disappointed now that they finally have access to it!" |
| The 75-year-old's doctoral thesis is the most requested item in Cambridge University's publications system. | The 75-year-old's doctoral thesis is the most requested item in Cambridge University's publications system. |
| To read it in full previously, people had to pay the university library to print a copy or physically go to the library to read it. | To read it in full previously, people had to pay the university library to print a copy or physically go to the library to read it. |
| Because of the popularity of the 134-page work the website has, at times, struggled to cope with the volume of users on Monday. | Because of the popularity of the 134-page work the website has, at times, struggled to cope with the volume of users on Monday. |
| But thousands have still been able to read the document by the man who would go on to write A Brief History of Time, one of the most influential scientific works ever. | But thousands have still been able to read the document by the man who would go on to write A Brief History of Time, one of the most influential scientific works ever. |
| Factfile: Stephen Hawking | |
| The abstract of his PhD begins: "Some implications and consequences of the universe are examined". | The abstract of his PhD begins: "Some implications and consequences of the universe are examined". |
| Cambridge University said it now hoped to encourage its other former academics to make their work available to the public, like Prof Hawking has. | Cambridge University said it now hoped to encourage its other former academics to make their work available to the public, like Prof Hawking has. |