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 nuclear 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 several 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.
