When two Bangs meet 

Sheldon Cooper is a scientific genius on the popular American TV show, The Big Bang Theory (<<>> ). He finally met his match last year: Stephen Hawking. 

This is not the first time that the scientist has appeared on TV. He has also been on Star Trek (in 1987) and The Simpsons (in 1989). Each time, he played himself. 

Hawking, 71, is perhaps the world's most famous scientist after Albert Einstein. He has spent his whole life studying the beginning and the end of the universe, including the Big Bang theory. 

The Big Bang theory explains the early development of the universe. According to the theory, about 13.7 billion years ago everything was all squeezed together in a tiny, tight little ball, and then the ball exploded. The results of that explosion are what we call the universe. 

Hawking has always tried to make science more popular with people. His book: A Brief History of Time was published in 1988. In the book he shares his understanding of the universe in simple language. The book tries to explain many subjects about the universe to common readers, including the Big Bang, black holes and light cones . 

Hawking's achievements are even greater if you think about his disability. When he was 21, Hawking caught a bad illness that slowly stopped him from moving or talking. Now he sits on a wheelchair with a computer by his side. To communicate, he moves two fingers to control the computer's mouse. He chooses his words from the screen, which are then spoken by a voice synthesizer . 

Hawking also believes that there might be aliens in space. However, he believes they are probably very dangerous, so we should not look for them. "I imagine they might exist in very big ships ... having used up all the resources from their home planet," Hawking said in a British documentary named Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking. QUESTIONS:

Q1:
1. Who came face to face with his equal last year?
2. Who was faced with someone that was his equal last year?
3. Who met someone as smart as them last year?
Q2:
1. Is Stephen Hawking a real person?
2. Is Stephen Hawking an actual person and not a fictional character?
3. Does the person Stephen Hawking exist in real life?
Q3:
1. What show is Sheldon Cooper's character on?
2. What show features Sheldon Cooper?
3. What television program features Sheldon Cooper as a character?
Q4:
1. Who did Sheldon Cooper meet?
2. Who did Sheldon Cooper come face to face with?
3. Who was Sheldon Cooper faced with?
Q5:
1. What other shows has Stephen Hawking been on, other than the Big Bang?
2. What other TV programs have featured Stephen Hawking, in addition to the Big Bang?
3. Where else has Stephen Hawking been featured on TV, besides the Big Bang?
Q6:
1. When was Stephen Hawking on Star Trek?
2. When did Stephen Hawking appear on Star Trek?
3. In what year did Star Trek feature Stephen Hawking?
Q7:
1. When was Stephen Hawking on the Simpsons?
2. When did Stephen Hawking appear on the Simpsons?
3. In what year did the Simpsons feature Stephen Hawking?
Q8:
1. Is Stephen Hawking the most recognizable scientist?
2. Is Stephen Hawking the world's most well-known scientist?
3. Is Stephen Hawking the most famous scientist in the world?
Q9:
1. Who may be a tad more well known than Stephen Hawking?
2. Whose fame might surpass that of Stephen Hawking?
3. Which scientist may be a bit more recognizable than Stephen Hawking?
Q10:
1. According to a theory, what exploded?
2. What does an important theory say exploded?
3. What went kaboom, according to theory?
Q11:
1. Did a large ball explode?
2. Was it a very big ball that exploded?
3. Did a great big ball go kaboom?
Q12:
1. How big was the ball that exploded?
2. What size of ball exploded?
3. How large was the exploding ball?
Q13:
1. When did the Big Bang likely occur?
2. When is the Big Bang thought to have happened?
3. When does it seem like the Big Bang probably happened?
