Sputnik, 1957. On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the earth's first artificial satellite, Sputnik-1. As a result, the launch of Sputnik served to intensify the arms race and raise Cold War tensions. During the 1950s, both the United States and the Soviet Union were working to develop new technology.
A major impact of the Cuban Missile Crisis was that it brought the world dangerously close to nuclear war. This crisis showed that there was great potential for a nuclear armed conflict to potentially break out.
