The Space Race
The space race lasted roughly 18 years, between 1957 and 1975. It was a competition between the USA and USSR to outperform each other in technology and space travel. On 4th October 1957, the Soviets launched the satellite Sputnik 1, and this is typically seen as the start of the space race. Like the arms race (where the two superpowers built more and more weapons of mass destruction while continuously improving them), the space race was seen as a challenge. Whoever was the most advanced nation in space was seen as the most advanced nation in the world. The Soviets sent the first man into space. The Americans put the first man on the Moon. Citizens felt that the space race was a good thing, although this was a huge drain in resources for the governments with little gain for the working class.
