Background
Brian Edward Cox was born on March 3, 1968, in Oldham, United Kingdom to parents who both worked in the banking industry. He had a happy childhood in Oldham and his extracurricular activities including gymnastics, dance, and even plane and bus spotting. One book he read when he was twelve inspired him to become a physicist. It was "Cosmos" written by Carl Sagan in 1980, based on the famous 13 episode television series of the same name.