The space age began on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik-the first artificial satellite. Around the world, millions of people tuned their radios to hear it beeping or waited outside to watch it pass overhead.

Narrated by Roger Launius of the Space History Division of the National Air and Space Museum, this piece examines the world's reaction to Sputnik. From popular music to visual design; from politics to technology, the space race seemed to define much of the culture of the late 1950s and the 1960s.

ARTSEDGE, the Kennedy Center's arts education network, supports the creative use of technology to enhance teaching and learning in, through, and about the arts, offering free, standards-based teaching materials for use in and out of the classroom, media-rich interactive experiences, professional development resources, and guidelines for arts-based instruction and assessment. Visit us at artsedge.kennedy-center.org.