Stephen Hawking couldn't read until he was 8!

Melbourne, Oct 21 (ANI): Britain's most renowned scientist Stephen Hawking has revealed that he could not read until he was eight years old.

He also said that he was academically idle until he was diagnosed with a form of motor neuron disease.

Hawking, who gave a rare public lecture at the Royal Albert Hall in London, said, "My sister Philippa could read by the age of four ... but then, she was definitely brighter than me."

He added that he was never more than about halfway up the class at school.

"My classwork was very untidy, and my handwriting was the despair of my teachers," News.com.au quoted him as saying.

"But my classmates gave me the nickname Einstein, so presumably they saw signs of something better," he added. (ANI)