The Big Bang Theory is a potential way the universe was created. 13.8 billion years ago, the universe started in a tiny point similar to a small, dense, fireball. Then, the point exploded. The cause was unknown. This is also when time started.
Timeline:
This era took place about 0 to 10^(-43) seconds after the universe was created. At this time, the universes size was 10^(-35) meters and its temperature was 10^32 degrees celcius.
This era took place about 10^(-43) to 10^(-36) seconds after the universe was created. This was when the first elementary particles and antiparticles were created.
This era took place about 10^(-36) to 10^(-32) seconds after the universe was created. In this era, the universe starts expanding exponentially called cosmic inflation. The factor is the size of a grape fruit. The elementary particles remaining from the last era get distributed across the universe.
This era took place about 10^(-36) to 10^(-12) seconds after the universe was created. This era takes place at the same time as the Inflationary Epoch, but this era is longer. In this era, particles interact causing a bunch of exotic particles to form.
This era took place about 10^(-12) to 10^(-6) seconds after the universe was created. In this era, the universe cools down to under 10 quadrillion degrees which allows quarks, electrons, and neutrinos to form in large numbers. Some quarks would combine to create matter.
This era took place about 10^(-6) to 1 second after the universe was created. In this era, the universe cools down to below 1 trillion degrees, which allows quarks to combine to create things called hadrons (for example, protons and neutrons).
This era took place about 1 second to 3 minutes after the universe was created. In this era, leptons and antileptons cover most of the universe.
This era took place about 3 to 20 minutes after the universe was created. In this era, the universe falls to about 1 billion degrees, which allows atomic nuclei to form by the process where protons and neutrons combine to create simple elements such as hydrogen, helium, and lithium.
This era took place about 3 minutes to 240,000 years after the universe was created. In this era, the universe is gradually cooling with this substance covering most of the universe: plasma. Now, photons also dominate most of the universe.
This era took place about 240,000 to 300,000 years after the universe was created. In this era, the universes temperature falls to 3,000 degrees, which allows helium atoms and ion ized hydrogen to combine with electrons, causing recombination. Photons are also released causing decoupling.
This era took place about 300,000 thousand to 150 million years after the universe was created. In this era, the universe is literally dark, with only photons and dark matter in it.
This era took place from 150 million to 1 billion years after the universe was created. In this era, the universe gets back its ion ized plasma.
This "era" took place about 300 to 500 million years after the universe was created. Unlike other eras/epochs, this "era" is still going because the formation of stars and galaxies are still going. In this era, the formation of stars and galaxies start.
This era took place about 8.5 to 9 billion years after the universe was created. In this era, the entire solar system was created by debris of previously fallen stars and planets.
It has been about 13.7 billion years since the universe was created. The formation of stars, planets, and galaxies continue.