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First satellite in space by USSR
The Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik 1. It was the start of the space race. -
First animal in space to orbit Earth for USSR
The dog Laika aboard the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 on 3 November 1957 orbited the earth until he died -
First satellite in space by USA
Explorer 1 was the first US satellite sent to space it would orbit earth every 114 minutes. -
Creation of NASA
President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and space act of 1958 into law creating NASA -
JFK's speech and commitment to getting to the moon
On January 20, 1961, President John F. Kennedy delivered his inaugural address in which he announced that "we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty." -
First chimpanzee used to perform tasks in space by USA (Ham the chimp)
HAM was the first chimp in space as he blasted off to an altitude of 157 miles during the Mercury-Redstone 2 mission on January 31, 1961. He performed the tasks that he was trained to do and was found to be in good health after recovery from the flight, despite some fatigue and dehydration. -
First man in space by USSR
Yuri Gagarin from the Soviet Union was the first human in space -
First man in space by USA
Astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American and the second man to travel in space when he launched a 15-minute, sub-orbital flight aboard NASA's Mercury spacecraft Freedom 7 -
First man to orbit Earth by USA
astronaut John H. Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth during the three-orbit Mercury-Atlas 6 mission -
First man to do an Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) by USSR
The first EVA was performed on March 18, 1965, by Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, who spent 12 minutes and 9 seconds outside the Voskhod 2 spacecraft -
First man to do an EVA by USA
Ed White became the first American to conduct a spacewalk