1. Sputnik I (1957) The Russians have beaten America in space—they have the technological edge!

2. Sputnik I (1957) October 4 th, 1957 the Soviets launched the Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth. This technological triumph alarmed Americans who took it as a sign that the U.S. was falling behind the Soviet Union in the missile technology.

3. Sputnik I (1957) The following year, Congress created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to coordinate research in rocket science and space exploration.

4. U-2 Spy Incident (1960) Col. Francis Gary Powers’ plane was shot down over Soviet airspace.

5. By late 1959, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were in the beginning stages of decreasing tension between the two countries. This progress halted when the Soviet’s shot down a U.S. spy plane flying over Russian territory The downing of Power’s plane set off one of the major confrontations of the Cold War during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower U-2 Spy Incident (1960)