Exactly 58 years ago, the former Soviet Union shocked the world by launching the first artificial satellite into Earth orbit. Awe-struck American officials listened in fear as Sputnik barreled through space at 18,000 mph while transmitting beeping signals, which were broadcast on radios across the globe. For what it was — a glorified radio transmitter — Sputnik 1 is a testament to the heated competition that was already boiling between the US and the Soviet Union at that time.