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Big BangThe Big Bang theory claims that everything in our universe—from the sun to the very fabric of spacetime—originated from a single point that began spreading out about 13.8 billion years ago. The term was coined in 1949 to contrast it with models that suggested the universe was static and unchanging, though the theory describes an expansion rather than a conventional explosion. The theory originated in 1927, when Georges Lemaître, a Belgian cosmologist and Roman Catholic priest, applied Einstein's model of gravity—the general theory of relativity—to the entire universe. His solution predicted an expanding universe of galaxies that, by rewinding the clock, would have begun as a "primeval atom." Two years later, Edwin Hubble confirmed the universe's expansion after observing distant galaxies moving away from Earth. The Big Bang predicts several properties about the universe that have since been confirmed through observation, strengthening the theory. These include an overwhelming abundance of light elements, such as hydrogen, and the cosmic microwave background—an afterglow of radiation left over from the Big Bang—discovered in the 1960s. Scientists don't know what triggered the Big Bang, though some suggest a quantum fluctuation—or a random energy shift in a quantum vacuum—brought it into being.Explore Big Bang

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The 'big bang' of the dot-com era: Netscape's stock price doubled on the day of its initial public offeringThe company behind the browser that revolutionized search went public on August 9, 1995. Just before the IPO, the company increased its initial opening price from $14 to $28. On the day the company went public, shares traded as high as $71 before closing at $58.25. The company's market capitalization exceeded $2B. The eye-popping IPO is largely considered the beginning of the dot-com bubble. Internet History Podcast One study suggests that dark matter may have originated from a dark Big BangA student-faculty team at Colgate University modeled the event as occurring months after the conventional Big Bang and determined the potential gravitational wave signal that would have been left behind. Future gravitational wave detectors are expected to be sensitive enough to observe this signal, if it exists. Colgate University Alternative models to the Big Bang lack as much scientific evidenceThe cosmic microwave background radiation and the observed expansion of the universe suggest that the cosmos began from a tiny, dense state, whose resulting properties we see throughout space. While physics allows for cyclical expansions and crunches, ongoing inflationary aeons, and localized inflation to create bubble universes, evidence for these alternatives has not yet been found. IFLScience Energy from the Big Bang should have created equal amounts of matter and antimatterCompared to antimatter, the abundance of normal matter suggests the symmetry between the two broke down at some point in the early universe. Research is ongoing to uncover a responsible mechanism, which would revise the Standard Model. CERN How a quantum quirk allowed neutral atoms to form soon after the Big BangAt the beginning of the universe, high-energy photons prevented atomic nuclei from combining with electrons to form neutral atoms. Rather than waiting for the universe to expand and cool completely, a rare quantum phenomenon—a two-photon transition—allowed neutral hydrogen atoms to form sooner, expediting the formation of stars, planets, and life. Big Think Webb discovers galaxy that formed 280 million years after the Big BangThe James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a galaxy that formed just 280 million years after the Big Bang. It is another in a series of increasingly ancient galaxies that, according to current formation models, should not have been able to form so quickly after the birth of the universe. Universe Today The Big Bang became physically plausible thanks to Stephen Hawking’s thesisStephen Hawking's PhD thesis mathematically showed that singularities—points of no volume and infinite density—are an expected feature of nature. It laid the theoretical groundwork for a model of the universe where everything originates from a single point. Newsweek The Big Bang theory describes how the universe began and continues to expandRooted in Lemaître’s 1927 idea of a growing universe and confirmed by Hubble’s redshift data, the theory is backed by evidence like cosmic microwave background radiation—remnants of the universe’s fiery birth detected in the 1960s. The radiation was first misidentified as interference from pigeon droppings inside a telescope antenna. 1440 A Belgian Catholic priest was the first to come up with the idea for the Big BangIn 1931, Georges Lemaître presented his radical idea that the universe came from a “primeval atom,” challenging the long-held belief that the universe had always existed. Einstein initially dismissed Lemaître’s work as having “abominable” physical insight, only to accept it later. Literary Hub Pigeons were thought to be the cause of what would be evidence of the Big BangIn 1964, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson accidentally detected the CMB while trying to eliminate persistent static from their radio antenna. The pair initially blamed the signal on pigeon droppings inside their antenna—cleaning it didn’t help, but it did win them a Nobel Prize. Discover The Big Bang theory explains the expanding universe and its fiery early originsThe term “Big Bang” was initially coined by a skeptic of the theory, but the name stuck despite the theory not depicting a "bang." The event took place everywhere in the universe at once, and the theory explains the abundance of hydrogen and helium in the universe. Symmetry Magazine Why did the Big Bang produce something, rather than nothing?One of the more remarkable things—among many remarkable things—about the big bang is how matter seemingly won out over antimatter. Int that initial moment of creation and annihilation, it turns out, neutrinos may well have pushed the universe toward forming matter over antimatter. This New York Times article delves deeply, asking several scientists for their input. The New York Times The Big Bang theory explains the universe’s expansion, not its originWhile we have strong evidence that the universe expanded from an extremely hot, dense state, we can only trace events back to a tiny fraction of a second after that point. Earlier stages, like inflation and potential force unification, remain unproven and unobservable with current tools. PBS LearningMedia Why the Big Bang theory is the most well-supported explanation for the origin of the universeMultiple independent lines of evidence—galactic redshift, element ratios, cosmic microwave background radiation, and large-scale cosmic structure—all point to a single origin about 13.8 billion years ago. Before Edwin Hubble, many astronomers believed the entire universe was contained within our galaxy. Fraser Cain From the Big Bang to present—a timelineA timeline for everything, from the Big Bang to the beginnings of life on Earth. This article lays out, in spans of billions of years, what was happening in the universe as it became the universe. Starting from the Planck era, the earliest known meaningful time, to the probable "Big Crunch" 30 billion years from now, see how the universe has existed and persisted. Futurism After the Big Bang, the universe's current composition was built in stagesThe Big Bang theory describes the universe beginning 13.7 billion years ago as an ultradense point, followed by stages, like the radiation- and matter-dominated eras. Each era was responsible for a unique element, such as the cosmic microwave background and atomic nuclei. National Geographic The hypothetical matter that neutron stars' cores may contain, including strange quarksModels of the extreme pressures and energies in neutron stars suggest conditions resembling those believed to have existed within a fraction of a second after the Big Bang. In these environments, the quarks that make up protons and neutrons in trios may instead form pairs that combine to form one quantum object. (Some readers may experience a paywall.) Scientific American An invisible web of dark matter helped form the universe's galaxiesObservations suggest that dark matter outnumbers normal matter 5-to-1, and its gravitational pull has served as critical scaffolding for the formation of large-scale structure. But how do we know dark matter exists if it's invisible? Explore the evidence by clicking on the title of this resource. 1440 View the winners of the 2025 Global Physics Photowalk contestParticipants were asked to submit entries showcasing particle physics labs from around the world, including particle accelerators, neutrino detectors, and superconducting experiments. The winning photograph was taken at the CryOgenic Laboratory for Detectors, where scientists hunt for dark matter after cooling materials to a few thousandths of a degree above absolute zero. Quanta Magazine Roger Williams founded the first American colony without an established churchBanished from Massachusetts in 1636 for preaching religious dissent, Williams founded Providence, Rhode Island—one of the earliest governments in the Western world to guarantee broad religious liberty. His phrase "wall of separation" between church and state directly influenced Jefferson and the Constitution's framers. Smithsonian Magazine Irish music became popular in the US during the 19th centuryThe influx of Irish immigrants in the mid-1800s, driven by starvation and abysmal employment opportunities, led to a significant Irish-American culture, especially in urban hubs such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco. The Library of Congress Quincy Jones' 'Big Band Bossa Nova' helped introduce bossa nova to the USReleased a few months after Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd's "Jazz Samba," Jones' 1962 album similarly exposed American audiences to bossa nova. The record's first song, "Soul Bossa Nova," which Jones said only took him 20 minutes to compose, would later become the theme music for the "Austin Powers" movie trilogy. Mister Alcohol Big Ocean is breaking barriers as the world's first deaf K-pop boy bandThe three-person boy band—whose members have different levels of hearing loss—use light systems, vibrations, and a mix of Korean and American Sign Languages, as well as International Sign (which isn't a whole language), to communicate and keep their dance routines in sync. In this interview, a band member with partial hearing describes their challenges. BBC World Reports Dark energy dominance represents the final era of the universeAs the universe expanded after the Big Bang, matter and energy diluted at different rates, with light once the most dense substance in the cosmos, followed by a period when matter was the most dense component. About five billion years ago, the density of dark energy was higher than that of both light and matter, which will continue to dilute. Big Think Due to dark energy, the universe is expected to end as a dark, sparse placeWhile the sun is expected to continue shining for another five billion years, the expansion of the universe will cause nearby stars and galaxies to become ever more distant, until they are too far to observe. Once the last old, red, dim stars cool into darkness after trillions of years, the universe will settle into a state of eternal, dark emptiness. The Conversation The cosmic microwave background radiation is the oldest light in the universeJust after the Big Bang, the high-density universe prevented light from traveling very far before being absorbed and emitted repeatedly by free-floating particles. As the universe expanded, electrons and protons combined to form hydrogen, thereby freeing up space for light to travel unimpeded, creating the background light we observe today. MinutePhysics Understanding how and when time began requires a theory of quantum gravityRewinding the universe to the big bang compresses all matter, energy, space, and time into a single point, necessitating a model that combines general relativity with quantum mechanics. Although physicists understand time to have begun when the universe did, a clear understanding of the mechanisms involved remains unclear. PBS Space Time A temperature of absolute zero is impossible to reachZero on the Kelvin scale—equivalent to -273.15 degrees Celsius—describes a system where all atomic motion completely stops, which is forbidden according to thermodynamics. As of 2025, the closest scientists have gotten to absolute zero is 0.00000000004 K. IFLScience Particle accelerators propel matter toward small targets at high speedDevices like cathode-ray tube televisions were once basic particle accelerators, but modern ones, such as the Large Hadron Collider, use massive magnetic fields and circular tunnels to achieve energies high enough to recreate the conditions just after the big bang. Space.com The payments tool Zelle was created by big banks to compete with apps like VenmoZelle is an alternative to Venmo, where people can pay each other back for expenses like apartment utilities or dinner. But its origin story has more to do with big finance than small transactions. CNBC Nothing can enter white holes—the opposites of black holesAlthough a mathematical possibility according to general relativity, there is no observational evidence for these objects, which would endlessly eject material into the universe via anti-gravity. It is also unclear how they would form or avoid collapsing due to the gravity of the ejected material. Space.com The scattering of light in the early universe prevents seeing the beginning of timeA "cosmic fog" of elementary particles in the early universe prevented light from traveling far before being absorbed. Only 380,000 years after the big bang, when the first atoms formed, was light free to travel and reach telescopes for study. UMBC Hollywood actors make an average of $56K per yearWhile a Hollywood actor’s average salary can vary based their experience and the size of their projects, the average annual salary. in 2024 was $56,903. Backstage More than 90% of the atoms in the human body were forged by starsExcluding all of the universe's hydrogen and most of its helium and lithium that formed in the Big Bang, elements found in significant amounts in our bodies formed through nuclear fusion within stars, collisions between neutron stars, or stars undergoing supernova. For example, all of the oxygen (65% of our mass) came from massive stars exploding. NASA The Star-Spangled Banner was the name of a massive flag at Fort McHenryDesigned and fabricated by flagmaker Mary Pickersgill, the flag has 15 stars and 15 stripes and was 30 feet by 42 feet, a size big enough to be seen by Francis Scott Key, who was eight miles away from Fort McHenry when he began composing his poem. Smithsonian Institution The universe may have been reborn from a state of emptinessSome physicists propose the universe might be the latest in an eternal cycle of universes, each emerging from the empty remains of the one before. This model is inspired partly by Norse and Egyptian myth, suggesting the universe is a cosmic ouroboros—a self-consuming serpent representing an eternal return. BBC The 300-million-year period where Earth looked like a snowballLife has existed on Earth for at least 3 billion years, but the planet has not always looked like it does today. Rather than the blues and greens of our modern globe, for a 300 million-year period, the Earth was covered in ice and snow, from the poles to the equator. Surprisingly, life was thriving at the time. Big Think A blend of brilliance and humor made Stephen Hawking's cameos unforgettableThroughout his life, he appeared in numerous pop culture moments—from "The Simpsons" to "The Big Bang Theory"—showing his talent for comedy and his love of science outreach. He was the only person to play himself on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," even writing some of his own lines. WatchMojo Hawking suggested studying black holes could reveal truths about the universe's startAfter predicting black holes could evaporate and before undergoing a tracheotomy, Stephen Hawking conducted interviews in his voice, explaining phenomena like black holes and the Big Bang. In this clip, he explains how curiosity drives humans to become “masters of the universe.” BBC The 1927 'Bristol Sessions' birthed the modern country industryCountry music has been around since the early American colonies, but the modern country industry began in 1927 in a small town on the Tennessee-Virginia border. Here, Ralph Peer recorded songs from the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, and a dozen more artists through a 12-day stint called "The Bristol Sessions." Birthplace of Country Music Museum Inside one credit union’s big NFL betHerndon, Virginia-based Northwest Federal Credit Union is working to bring credit unions into the spotlight. The relatively small institution just made a big splash when it struck an $8M-per-year naming rights deal with the Washington Commanders. Northwest is now the official credit union partner for the team and has turned FedEx Field into Northwest Stadium. Banking nerds and sports fans alike are paying close attention. Read this article to learn more. Sportico The James Webb Space Telescope is rewriting what we know about the early universeThanks to its advanced infrared sensors and massive mirror, the James Webb Space Telescope can see farther back in cosmic history than Hubble, revealing galaxies formed just 500 million years after the Big Bang. 1440 The universe might have emerged from a quantum fluctuation—not absolute nothingTraditional physics breaks down at the moment of the Big Bang, but quantum theory suggests that “empty” space is never truly empty. In 1973, physicist Edward Tryon proposed that our universe began from a quantum energy blip in the quantum vacuum. Big Think The cosmic dark ages: before stars existedThe theories behind the Big Bang suggest the process of the universe beginning to the creation of stable, neutral atoms took just half a million years. But the transition from such atoms to star formation took surprisingly much longer, upwards of 100 million years. Why? This deep dive explores the science behind the unique physical composition of the so-called cosmic dark ages. Big Think How banking worksTo do big things, people often need more money. Banks jumpstart economic activity with loans paid back with interest, and when things are working well, both people and the bank make more money. Formed in the Middle Ages amid competing currencies in Italy, banks—from the Italian for bench, banco—helped stimulate that era's commercial revolution, a massive expansion in Mediterranean trade and development. Find out the ins and outs of banks in this quick explainer video. YouTube The theory of axiogenesis may explain the matter-antimatter asymmetry in our universeAxiogenesis suggests that a theoretical particle field that evolved after the Big Bang may have spun like a marble around a wobbly “Mexican hat” energy landscape, producing excess matter over antimatter. This theoretical particle—the axion—may also make up dark matter, solving an additional mystery in astronomy. Quanta Magazine Edwin Hubble showed that the universe is full of galaxies and is expandingIn the 1920s, Hubble showed that the Andromeda "nebula" was another galaxy. He later discovered that galaxies move away from us at speeds proportional to their distance—a breakthrough now known as the Hubble-Lemaître law, foundational to Big Bang cosmology. EarthSky What does quark-gluon plasma have in common with tap water?Quark-gluon plasma is a state of matter that formed shortly, very shortly, after the big bang. At one time filling the universe, scientists describe quark-gluon plasma as being similar to tap water, but only in the manner that such matter flows. Incredibly hot upon its emergence, it swiftly cooled and began forming the early building blocks of the universe. SciTechDaily The cosmic microwave background is the faded light of when the universe glowed orangeAbout 400,000 years after the Big Bang, the universe cooled enough for atoms to form, releasing a burst of orange-hued thermal radiation that has since redshifted into microwaves we now detect as the CMB. No matter where you point a detector in space, the CMB signal is always there. PBS Space Time Take a peek inside those $225,000 Oscar gift bags.Even the losers will win big at the Academy Awards, thanks to all of the free swag. Here’s what they’ll take home this year. Forbes

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