This event marks the launch of the Sputnik 11 satellite in 1961, a major milestone in the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. The satellite was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and was the first artificial satellite to be launched into Earth
From Wikipedia
Sputnik 1, often referred to as simply Sputnik, was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space program. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for three weeks before its three silver-zinc batteries became depleted. Aerodynamic drag caused it to fall back into the atmosphere on 4 January 1958.