How did the big bang theory get its name?

   The big bang theory, ironically, got its name from an off-hand remark made by a steady-state theory proponent, British astronomer Fred Hoyle, speaking on a radio show in England. Hoyle has made detailed studies of the nuclear reactions that take place in the core of a star and has also researched the gravitational, electromagnetic, and nu¬clear fields of stars and the various elements formed within them. Hoyle is the author of several books on stars, both technical and for general readers, as well as a number of science fiction stories and even a script for an opera. In 1948, Hoyle joined the debate between steady-state and big bang theorists on how the universe began. He wrote sev¬eral books siding with steady-state proponents Thomas Gold and Hermann Bondi. Hoyle was not very happy about the popularity of his "big bang" remark and avoided the term from then on.