This event marked the beginning of the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union. On October 4, 1962, the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik 31 satellite, the first artificial satellite to be sent into space. This launch was a major milestone in the history of space exploration and
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.