Stephen Hawking was a legend in the realms of theoretical physics, cosmology, and even pop culture. Although he battled a degenerative condition and doctors expected him to die young, he stuck around to study how the universe began and how it might eventually end inside black holes. He was also a well-known author who released top-selling books such as A Brief History of Time. People who crossed paths with him often spoke about his charm and his wit.
Given all that, it was a bit strange that nobody showed up when he hosted a bash in 2009.
A video of the gathering shows a rather depressing scene. Several platters of snacks are left completely full, while glasses of fancy champagne sit there without a sip taken. Balloons line the room, and a massive sign says, “Greetings to the Time Travelers.” Hang on a second.
As it turns out, the event was really a test regarding the feasibility of traveling through time. He only sent out the invites once the celebration was finished. Like plenty of other physicists, Hawking had often wondered if moving backward or forward through time could actually be done. Plus, what visitor from the future would turn down the chance to have a drink with Stephen Hawking?
Hawking aimed to attract visitors from the future by sharing the party details on his TV show, Into the Universe With Stephen Hawking. The text stated, “We warmly welcome you to a reception for Time Travelers,” and listed the exact date, time, and location coordinates. As Hawking described it, the logic was that only a person from a future era could possibly make it there.
Sadly, not a single person attended the party.
What a bunch of (future) party-poopers
“It’s too bad,” Hawking remarked. “I had my fingers crossed that a future Miss Universe would walk in.” Later on, though, he brought up the hazards involved in time travel. He told Ars Technica in 2012 that Einstein’s work on relativity provides the foundation for making time travel real. Yet, twisting time and space might “release a blast of radiation that could wipe out the vessel and possibly even space-time.” That danger is probably plenty to stop anyone from coming to the party.
It really is a pity, since Hawking enjoyed dancing and parties, despite being in a wheelchair full-time. Regarding his reason for hosting a bash for time travelers, he stated, “I enjoy basic experiments… plus champagne.” Hawking believed that broadcasting the invitation might get the attention of someone in the future—though the mind-bending paradox is that if it actually works, shouldn’t we have spotted a guest or two at the celebration?
“My hope is that versions of this invite stick around for thousands of years in some way,” Hawking noted. If that happens, the event takes place on June 28, 2009, located at coordinates 52° 12’ 21” N, 0° 7’ 4.7” E. So, if you are traveling through time and seeing this, try not to leave Mr. Hawking hanging.
Is it possible that time travelers actually saw the invitation?
Let’s be optimistic and believe that humankind is able to time travel in a millenium. They simply decided not to attend. And it makes sense: if a reasonable person had the chance of travelling back to, let’s say, the Roman Empire, they would probably decide against it after pondering on the issue.
What good would it do to our ancestors? Even if the time traveler had a PhD in Latin, would they be able to communicate effectively with whatever person they ran into? What illnesses could they bring to they ancestors that could break a pandemic and alter the timeline into a civilization collapse and another uchronia? Would the time traveler’s own immune system be able to handle the exposure to germs, illnesses and bacteria that floated around 2 millenia ago?
Maybe time travelers were too polite to come up to Mr. Stephen Hawkins, after all, they probably know he had a delicate health. Or maybe time-travelling doesn’t let you bring objects with you, but they didn’t want to arrive to the party empty-handed. Who’s to say?