You can make an argument that Stephen Hawking is a wee bit overrated as far as groundbreaking scientists go (before any of you go crazy, Hawking is still probably has more raw brain power than I will ever have). For example, he lost several science related wagers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_wagerChip Chase was playing with Internet and e-mail before most of us even knew it existed.
Chip Chase wins. But can he beat Kip Thorne?