On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man-made object ever sent into space...

...on October 4, 2001, Walker & Company launches Sputnik: The Shock of the Century by Washington journalist Paul Dickson, a book chronicling the dramatic events and developments leading up to and emanating from Sputnik's launch.Paul Dickson was interviewed by Katie Couric on her blog Couric & Company.

This site features details about the book, Paul Dickson's thoughts on how the book came to be written, the full text of the introduction and first chapter, a gallery of historical photographs of people, events and people surrounding Sputnik's launch and the race for space, advance comments and reviews, unique audio and video clips recorded at the time, and links to other sources of information on the Internet.

The U.S. public reaction to Sputnik was monumental. Remember where you were when you first heard about Sputnik? Did this historic event affect your life in any particular way? We invite you to share your thoughts and recollections with us.