Black holes have been the most mysterious objects in the universe. Although people are fascinated about how black holes are formed and how they evolve and why they are related to the origin of the universe, these massive-mass but small-size objects still remain a mystery to the general public. Based on major discoveries in cosmology and astrophysics, this talk will give a brief history of scientific development in black holes. It will cover both theoretical development and observational discoveries as well as major scientific findings related to black holes, for example, the discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation and the observation of gravitational waves. Built upon the Chandrasekhar limit, this talk will also discuss under what conditions a black hole can be formed and how it will affect the surrounding space and time from the perspective of theory of general relativity. This talk will contribute to Stephen Hawking’s legacy in his groundbreaking scientific research in cosmology and his profound ability to communicate complex ideas to the public, especially his astoundingly successful book "A Brief History of Time" (1988) which was translated into some 40 languages and sold over 25 millions of copies worldwide.