In 1957, millions of people all over the world looked up to the sky, knowing for the first time that space could be conquered. It's been 52 years since Sputnik was launched, becoming the first satellite ever to orbit the earth. It drove the US space program forward and, over a decade later, the first man walked on the moon.

From Tom's Astronomy Blog:

On October 4, 1957, the USSR launched the first Earth satellite, Sputnik I.  Its launch stunned the world and jump-started the “space race”.
Sputnik (literally means “traveler” or “companion”) was not visible from the Earth.  People who thought they saw Sputnik actually saw the second stage booster rocket which followed Sputnik in its orbit.

The world stood transfixed as the first man-made object was launched into orbit.

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See the full blog post (with pics!) here.