Stephen Hawking Wheelchair, Thesis up for Sale

A Book, signed with a thumb print by Stephen Hawking is one of the personal and academic possessions of Stephen Hawking, photo behind, at the auction house Christies in London on Oct. 19, 2018. AP Photo/Frank Augstein

LONDON—Stephen Hawking was a cosmic visionary, a figure of inspiration and a global celebrity.

His unique status is reflected in an upcoming auction of some of the late physicist’s possessions: It includes complex scientific papers, one of the world’s most iconic wheelchairs and a script from “The Simpsons.”