What I already know about my topic

I already know some about our planet and solar system because I learned about them in elementary and middle school, but I don't remember ever learning specifically about the origins of the entire universe. Since I was a teenager, I have picked up scattered pieces of information about how the universe began by reading and watching television, but I have never seriously looked into it. To be honest, I'm intimidated to research this topic because I can't understand most of what the real scientists write. Most of my knowledge comes from popular television shows, such as "The Universe" series on the History Channel. I have learned from these kinds of shows, but they never really seem to answer the difficult questions like I want them to. I know that like most scientific subjects, there are different theories about how the universe began. I have heard about the "big bang," but I don't understand what the term means. I know scientists disagree about exactly how old the universe is. I know there are questions about whether the universe did have a beginning at all or whether it may have always existed in some way. I think I have basic background knowledge and understand the questions, but I don't know many details or answers to them.