The little metal ball that started it all turned 50 last year. Did you celebrate Sputnik's birthday? The "origin" of the space age, the reason the US went to the moon, one of the most feared aspects of The Cold War...Hey, this is history! 
Why such anxiety over a 184# flying ball that did pretty much nothing but go beep, beep, beep? An orbiting RoadRunner (for those who remember the Warner Bros RoadRunner - Coyote cartoons)?
Well, that RoadRunner - Coyote analogy isn't too far off for those with a knowledge of political and social commentary. Sputnik -- Russian for "travelling companion" -- was launched on a rocket designed for nuclear delivery. Sputnik's success meant the US was very much an accessible target.
Sputnik's legacy reaches far beyond the paranoia of the day. It spawned the careers of Ross Perot, caused the term "beatnik" to come into being, was the driving force behind NASA, DARPA, the internet, ... that was a terrifying 184# ball.
Celebrate Sputnik, folks. Without it, you wouldn't be reading this.
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