# Stephen Hawking's Time Travellers Party **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 25, 2018, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492 "2018-10-25T12:22:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JasperB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7bcc69/32.png) [@JasperB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JasperB)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/1 "2018-10-25T12:22:46Z")
Regarding Stephen Hawking’s party for time travellers - in which he sent out invitations after the fact - does anybody know who he sent these invitations to? The story refers to paper invites but I can’t find names, or such, as to who, or where, they were addressed to. Thoughts please? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/2 "2018-10-25T21:57:09Z")
He added it to one of his books. “By publishing the party invitation in his mini-series Into the Universe With Stephen Hawking, Hawking hoped to lure futuristic time travelers. You are cordially invited to a reception for Time Travellers, the invitation read, along with the the date, time, and coordinates for the event. The theory, Hawking explained, was that only someone from the future would be able to attend.” - [https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/stephen-hawking-time-travelers-party](https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/stephen-hawking-time-travelers-party) ---
**Author:** ![JasperB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7bcc69/32.png) [@JasperB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JasperB)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/3 "2018-10-25T23:35:23Z")
Thanks heaps my good man! ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/4 "2018-10-25T23:52:23Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > He added it to one of his books. > > “By publishing the party invitation in his mini-series Into the Universe With Stephen Hawking, Hawking hoped to lure futuristic time travelers. You are cordially invited to a reception for Time Travellers, the invitation read, along with the the date, time, and coordinates for the event. The theory, Hawking explained, was that only someone from the future would be able to attend.” - [https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/stephen-hawking-time-travelers-party](https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/stephen-hawking-time-travelers-party) But you see, this is where Professor Hawking went wrong: by publishing the fact that no one from the future attended this party, no time traveler would make the journey back through time to attend - because they already know they didn’t. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/5 "2018-10-26T01:20:07Z")
IIRC, when I first heard about this time traveler’s party, Hawking was still keeping it to himself whether or not he got any visitors from the future. It was much later that it was revealed nobody came. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/6 "2018-10-26T03:38:38Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > But you see, this is where Professor Hawking went wrong: by publishing the fact that no one from the future attended this party, no time traveler would make the journey back through time to attend - because they already know they didn’t. :smack: The first thing I’m going to do when I get my time machine is to visit Hawking’s Party. Forget murdering Hitler, this is more important. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/7 "2018-10-26T07:29:42Z")
Did anyone already have attended yet? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/8 "2018-10-26T10:03:49Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Did anyone already have attended yet? I plan on going last Thursday. Depends on my schedule. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/9 "2018-10-26T12:57:04Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > The first thing I’m going to do when I get my time machine is to visit Hawking’s Party. Forget murdering Hitler, this is more important. No you are not. Because you already didn’t not will have gone. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/10 "2018-10-26T13:46:02Z")
Who wants to go to a party that no one will have gone to? How boring that will have been. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/11 "2018-10-26T13:50:43Z")
I hear Dr Streetmentioner will have been turning up. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/12 "2018-10-26T14:38:49Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > No you are not. Because you already didn’t not will have gone. So who’s going to stop me? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/13 "2018-10-26T14:39:58Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > So who’s going to stop me? Hitler is going to come forward in time to stop you. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/14 "2018-10-26T14:51:51Z")
Given the fact that because of the very real possibility that time travelers could create a paradox, they most certainly would limit their experience to observation only with no interaction whatsoever. So, in my mind, the fact that there were no guests at the party proves nothing one way or the other. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/15 "2018-10-26T15:29:28Z")
Perhaps there WERE guests at the party, but those guests told Hawking if he tells people there were guests, the universe would explode? ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/16 "2018-10-26T15:49:51Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > No you are not. Because you already didn’t not will have gone. I was just going to say that. But now I know I didn’t. See how this works? 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/17 "2018-10-26T17:52:02Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > The first thing I’m going to do when I get my time machine is to visit Hawking’s Party. Forget murdering Hitler, this is more important. But if you go to this instead of killing Hitler, WW2 will happen and your grandfather will die before meeting your grandmother making you not exist and so be unable to attend the party. You’ve got to think these things through. On th other hand if you do kill Hitler, then the mother of and father of the inventor of the Hawkings favorite hors d’oeuvre (a bologna, cheeze wizz, and marmite tart) survive, and that is all he serves at the party. So maybe it’s all for the best. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/18 "2018-10-26T18:26:14Z")
In a couple of years, I’m going to his earlier party in the summer of 79. Not 1979, btw. It was a gas. . ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/19 "2018-10-26T19:35:11Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > So who’s going to stop me? I already did am. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492/20 "2018-10-26T20:20:47Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Given the fact that because of the very real possibility that time travelers could create a paradox, they most certainly would limit their experience to observation only with no interaction whatsoever. So, in my mind, the fact that there were no guests at the party proves nothing one way or the other. You’re assuming they care, or that paradoxes are possible to create. I personally lean towards the multi-verse theory, so anywhen I go I just cause a new branch. Of course, getting back to my original starting point is probably impossible, but not sure I’d want to do that either. Just keep jumping until I find a world where I’m a success and it rains donuts. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-hawkings-time-travellers-party/823492.md?page=2)