Today in 2009, physicist Stephen Hawking threw a party for time travelers.
A film of the event depicts a dismal cocktail party. Three trays of canapes sit uneaten, and flutes filled with Krug champagne go untouched. Balloons decorate the walls, and a giant banner displays the words “Welcome, Time Travellers.”
As it happened, Hawking’s party was actually an experiment on the possibility of time travel. (Invitations were sent only after the party was over.) Along with many physicists, Hawking had mused about whether going forward and back in time was possible. And what time traveler could resist sipping champagne with Stephen Hawking himself?
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 date, time, and coordinates for the event. The theory, Hawking explained, was that only someone from the future would be able to attend.
Unfortunately, no one showed up.