801Z Summer 2026 The Big Bang

The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model explaining the existence of the observable universe from its earliest known periods through its subsequent large-scale evolution over a period of 13.8 billion years. The universe began, scientists believe, with every speck of its energy jammed into a very tiny point. This extremely dense point exploded with unimaginable force, creating spacetime itself and all matter, and propelling it outward to make the billions of galaxies of our vast universe. This titanic explosion was dubbed the Big Bang by a non-believer in the theory. This course will present the history of all previous models of the universe and how the Big Bang theory became widely accepted today throughout the cosmological community. It will then describe the theory itself in detail. Philosophical and religious implications will be discussed. Evidence for alien life will be presented.

Steve Greenhouse retired as an electrical engineer in 2013, joined OLLI, and has been immersed in courses ever since. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a BS and the Catholic University of America earning an MS and a Ph.D, all in Electrical Engineering. He was employed by the government and several contractors. He worked as an independent consultant in the space communications field for the last 35 years of his career. He has taught OLLI courses on evolution, the Nuremberg Trials, sports history, and modern physics. Retirement has given him time to delve into subjects he has always been interested in; this course is about one of these.