This time, it's the 50th anniversary of the first man-made satellite, Sputnik, as of tomorrow.
It not only put the human race beyond the Earth's atmosphere, but also created the Cold War space race, where the Soviets got a head start with Sputnik and Vostok, but the US triumphed with manned Moon flights (Apollo). The race continued with Soviet emphasis on long-term space station stays and American emphasis on reusable space shuttles, and now, with the Cold War over, the technologies are coming together for the International Space Station and beyond.
BBC
