Traditionally, the person we refer to as Buddha lived from 563 to 483 BCE, although there is some evidence that he lived as much as a century later. Legend holds that both his conception and birth were miraculous. His mother, Maya, conceived him when she dreamed that a white elephant entered her right side She gave birth to him in a standing position while grasping a tree in a garden. The child emerged from Maya's right side fully formed and proceeded to take seven steps. In less miraculous terms, Gautama Shakyamuni was born to the rulers of the Shakya clan, (his last name means “sage of the Shakya clan.”) in Lumbini in Nepal.
According to the legend, once back in the palace, he was presented to an astrologer who predicted that he would become either a great king or a great religious teacher and he was given the name Siddhartha. His father, thinking that any contact with unpleasantness might prompt Siddhartha to seek a life of renunciation as a religious teacher, and not wanting to lose his son to such a future, protected him from the harsh realities of life beyond the palace walls.
The story continues and says the ravages of poverty, disease, and even old age were unknown to Siddhartha, who grew up surrounded by every comfort in a sumptuous palace. At age 29, he made three successive chariot rides outside the palace grounds and saw an old person, a sick person, and a dead body, all for the first time. On a fourth trip, Siddhartha saw a wandering holy man who inspired Siddhartha to follow a similar path in search of freedom from the suffering caused by the infinite cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Completely abandoning his luxurious existence and secretly escaping the palace, Siddhartha spent the next six years as a traveling ascetic, attempting to conquer his appetites for food, sex, and comfort by engaging in various yogic disciplines. Eventually, near death from fasting, he accepted a bowl of rice from a young girl. Once he had eaten, he had a realization that physical austerities were not the means to achieve spiritual liberation. Now 35, at a place now known as Bodh Gaya, he sat and meditated all night beneath a tree. After defeating the temptations and forces of the demon Mara, Siddhartha reached enlightenment. He now became known as the “enlightened one” or “Buddha”
After seven weeks of meditation following his enlightenment, he decided to teach others what he had learned, encouraging people to follow a path he called "The Middle Way," which is one of balance rather than extremism. He gave his first sermon in a deer park in Sarnath, on the outskirts of the city of Benares. He soon had many disciples and spent the next forty-five years walking around northeastern India spreading his teachings. Traditional accounts relate that he died at the age of eighty in Kushinagara, after ingesting a tainted piece of either mushroom or pork. His body was cremated and the remains distributed among groups of his followers.
One great modern book that details a fictionalized account of the Buddha’s life is “Siddhartha” by German novelist Herman Hesse.

There are a number of good collections that detail the basics of the Buddha’s teachings. There different schools of Buddhism although the basic tenants are the same, although each school emphasizes different teachings The main schools are Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. Within the Mahayana and Vajrayana there are schools of Buddhism that are quite different in their practices, Zen and Pure Land for example. Teachings were written down by disciples and have evolved over the centuries. By the Pala period in India (ca. 700–1200), the Buddha's life had been codified into a series of stories called the “Eight Great Events”.
The Buddha taught that he discovered that he was burdened down with the awareness that life seemed to afford no lasting satisfaction, and through his own efforts he attained enlightenment, a state of being in which suffering and its causes are dispelled forever.
The Buddha taught that life offers no lasting happiness or satisfaction and is ultimately a condition in which we suffer in various ways. The cause of this suffering is selfish desire. The Buddha teaches of a pathway for the realization of this in the Noble Eightfold Path. Understanding the true reality of the world and its difference from the world we perceive is part of the achievement of enlightenment.
Many of the Buddha’s teachings have their basis in Hindu philosophy and concepts such as Nirvana,  Dharma and Karma which have their origins in Hinduism are major components of Buddhism.
The Buddha taught that our intentional acts have consequences. Moral acts have pleasant consequences; immoral deeds will conversely have unpleasant consequences. This process of moral cause and effect is referred to as karma.
Buddhism teaches that compassion and kindness to all things are the most important traits to exhibit. Followers of the Buddhist schools are traditionally non-violent, vegetarian, charitable and non-proselytizing
The idea of karma is closely related to that of rebirth. Buddhism teaches that when beings die they are reborn in one of six realms: as gods, humans, titans or demi-gods, animals, hungry ghosts or hell-beings. The goal of enlightenment is to ultimately transcend this cycle of birth and rebirth through the realization of nirvana.
Central to the teachings of Buddhism is the idea of moral behavior and the “right” way of living.
Perhaps the most enduring image of Buddhism is that of meditation. Following the Buddha’s example meditation is central to the practice of Buddhism. There are different forms of meditation and its importance depends on the Buddhist school or tradition.