Stephen Hawking’s wheelchair, thesis for sale

London: Stephen Hawking was a cosmic visionary, a figure of inspiration and a global celebrity. His unique status is reflected in an upcoming auction of some of the late physicist’s possessions: It includes scientific papers, one of the world’s most iconic wheelchairs and a script from “The Simpsons.” The online sale announced by auctioneer Christie’s features 22 items from Hawking, including his doctoral thesis on the origins of the universe, some of his many awards, and scientific papers such as “Spectrum of Wormholes” and “Fundamental Breakdown of Physics in Gravitational Collapse.” AP

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Man who foiled Nazi nuclear plan dies aged 99

Oslo: The leader of a daring World War Two raid to thwart Nazi Germany’s nuclear ambitions has died aged 99. Joachim Roenneberg, serving behind enemy lines in his native Norway during the German occupation, in 1943 blew up a plant producing heavy water, or D2O, a hydrogen-rich substance that was key to the later development of atomic bombs. Picked by Britain’s war-time Special Operations Executive to lead the raid when he was only 23-year-old, Roenneberg was the youngest member of Operation Gunnerside, which penetrated and destroyed key parts of the heavily guarded Norsk Hydro plant. Reuters