The story of the universe in its infancy is actually well-known from Classical Physics. Here we mean by Classical, anything that doesn't rely on anything that hasn't been tested in a lab on Earth. We follow the classic book by the same name on a journey back to when the universe was 180 seconds old. We find that there is nuclear fusion in all the cosmos, that it’s so hot nuclei cannot combine, that neutrons and protons are in balance with nuclear reactions. We find that, even more convincing than the cosmic microwave background, the ratio of hydrogen to helium that was fixed in these early moments is greater proof of the Big Bang. This ratio is seen in the most ancient stars, who still carry the original composition of the birth of the universe. We see this wherever we look. It takes will and guts to throw away old religious myths and adopt the reality of creation as it is truly understood.

The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe by Weinberg:
http://www.amazon.com/The-First-Three...
Cosmology: A Very Short Introduction: by Coles: http://www.amazon.com/Cosmology-A-Ver...