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'''Sputnik''' was launched in 1957 by the [[Soviet Union]] under [[Nikita Khrushchev]] as the first spacecraft to circle the earth. It stunned the world by demonstrating Soviet superiority in some forms of technology, especially the capacity to build extremely sophisticated technology and powerful rockets (which could also carry nuclear weapons). It remains a high point of Russian pride.
'''Sputnik''' was launched in 1957 by the [[Soviet Union]] under [[Nikita Khrushchev]] as the first spacecraft to circle the earth. It stunned the world by demonstrating supposed Soviet superiority in some forms of technology, especially the capacity to build extremely sophisticated technology and powerful rockets (which could also carry nuclear weapons). It remains a high point of Russian pride.
[[File:Sputnik.jpg|thumb|400px|The Sputnik in 1957 was the greatest triumph of Soviet technology]]
[[File:Sputnik.jpg|thumb|400px|The Sputnik in 1957 was the greatest triumph of Soviet technology]]
*''Sputnik II'' carried a dog named Laika (Russian: Лайка) into space on November 3, 1957. Laika was originally a stray, and she died a while after the launch.
*''Sputnik II'' carried a dog named Laika (Russian: Лайка) into space on November 3, 1957. Laika was originally a stray, and she died a while after the launch.
Although Sputnik was ultimately responsible for the Space Race and the Missile Gap, it should be noted that it being launched first was due to a conscious decision on the part of then-President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], as he worried that America launching a spy satellite first, due to it technically contradicting some aspects of international law, would result in several Soviet-orchestrated international protests.<ref>''The Politically Incorrect Guide to the 1960s'', pp 118-9.</ref>
== See also ==
== See also ==