Eur. Phys. J. H 39, 205–223 (2014)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjh/e2014-50002-y

Discovery of the hot Big Bang: What happened in 1948

Joseph Henry Laboratories, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544, USA

^a e-mail: pjep.princeton.edu

Received: 15 January 2014
Received in final form: 13 March 2014
Published online: 10 April 2014

Abstract

The idea that the universe is filled with the thermal radiation now termed the Cosmic Microwave Background was discussed in eleven publications in the year 1948. These papers offer a detailed example of the process of development of a new and now very productive line of research, and of the confusion that can attend new ideas. The confusion in this case left a common misunderstanding of the considerations that motivated the idea of the sea of radiation.