White House wishes Stephen Hawking a happy birthday

Physicist Stephen Hawking turned 71 on Tuesday, and the White House wished him a happy birthday.

Happy Birthday, Stephen Hawking: at.wh.gov/gEcyH Check out a never-before-seen video from his visit to the WH: at.wh.gov/gEcxd

— The White House (@whitehouse) January 8, 2013

The White House also shared a brief clip from an August 2009 interview with the Medal of Freedom award winner that it said in a blog post comes from Hawking's visit to the White House to receive the award.

“The thrill of discovering something no one knew before is like nothing else I know,” Hawking says in the video clip. “I want to share my excitement with everyone. My main challenge has been Lou Gehrig’s Disease, or ALS. I have had it since I was 21, but it has not prevented me from exploring the universe with my mind or having three wonderful children.”

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