© Friedhoffer, 1999

 

The American Physical Society invited me to be a presenter at the APS Centennial meeting in Atlanta, GA  3/21-3/26.  It has been claimed that this was the largest meeting of physicists ever held.  Over 8,500 by official count.   Stephen Hawking was the guest of honor.

            I would be performing my Magic Tricks-Science Facts show at public outreach programs in and around Atlanta for the week. Venues included junior and senior high schools, public auditoriums, and the APS kickoff gala at the Fernbank Science museum.  

           The evening of the gala started with a cocktail at Sci-Trek museum.   Lots of people milling around waiting to meet the guest of honor, the venerated, mythical Stephen Hawking.   He glided into the room on his wheelchair and the room grew silent.  Just   being in the same room with him had us all in awe.    People went up and started to talk to him,  He responded with his voice   synthesized computer.

 Then lot of folks started taking pictures of him,  Not knowing the protocol   I stayed on the periphery and took some photos.  Getting braver I had  Nikki (my daughter) and her friend Shondra,  stand beside him and snapped some pictures of the three of them.

  After getting up the nerve to walk over to him I asked Dr. Hawking if he  liked magic.  Fortunately for me, his response was - "I love magic."  My response. "Would you care to see some tricks?"  He said,   "Yes!"  I did some not so standards sleight of hand.  Ultimately a full deck vanished from my hands and then appeared from my mouth.  Hawking laughed heartily at the unexpected end.  

               The press photographers went crazy taking many photos of me, Bob Friedhoffer, formerly 
 from   the Bronx, entertaining the man who might arguably be the most  influential   scientist of the 20th century's latter half.  He is without doubt the  Michael Jordan, or Bruce Springsteen of science.

  I eventually gave up my spot to someone else,  and talked to some of the other guests at the party.  Finally we all went to the civic center to hear Hawking give his presentation.   On the way over to the hall I picked up a program and was blown away.  On the inside of the flier was the info about Dr, Hawking.  On   the outside rear cover was listed a bunch of other events, including my performance.  I couldn't believe it.  My name on the same hand bill as the eminent Dr. Hawking.

  The talk was entitled, the "Universe in a Nutshell".  His explanations (aided   by some visuals) was exhilarating, educational and extremely understandable.  Not only did he make the cosmic science understandable, he made it enjoyable, eliciting many laughs throughout the  talk.

             Afterwards there was a small kaffe klatch for invited guests, including Nikki, Shondra and myself.    It was eerie,  The guests all stood around and yakked and then Stephen  Hawking entered and the room became deathly quiet.  A gentleman from AIP  (American Institute of Physics) gave him an award and then people started asking questions, 

The first,"Do you think that by using black holes we can do time   travel?' 
SH - "Yes but only into the future."
Questioner - "I mean ways, forward and back."
SH -  "I've never met anyone from the future."
The atmosphere was a little stiff when I approached and said I'd like to
show him some more magic.   Fortunately for me, he grinned and indicated yes.

 
            I selected tricks that were all visual and needed no input from a  spectator.  We (Hawking and I) were the center of attention though admittedly he didn;pt need me for that. The final trick I performed was a visual card penetration whereby one card  visibly melted through another in a simulation of quantum tunneling.  

            He smiled broadly and typed   "That's why I'm not an experimental physicist.  You  can   never believe the evidence."   I asked him if he liked magic and performed it as a child.   "I stopped believing in magic when I was 6 years old."   "My hands were   never good enough to do magic."

RF - "Well just think, of you had been good  at magic you would now be performing in music halls, instead of doing physics."
SH - "If I had, then there would be no music left in the hall."

            He eventually turned and approached Nikki and her friend Shondra.  Nikki was a little nervous and didn't know what to say. Finally she came  up   with,   "Hi Dr. Hawking.  Your speech was wonderful.  You actually allowed me to   understand a little bit of what you do.   By the way  my father is Bob, the magician you just met." 
SH - "Your dad is great!"
Nikki - "I know, but I can't let him know that I think so."
SH - "My daughter does the same thing." (with a big grin)

             Nikki posed with him for photo.  Next  I asked Shondra to get next to  him.
  Then closer still.    Dr. Hawking still had a huge grin on his face.  I said, "Don't make any moves on her, she's a friend of my daughter."  With his grin growing ever wider he replied, "I'm not wearing my official 
badge that says, "Flirt harder, I'm a physicist."