What significant event took place on October 5,1957? How did that event affect the people from Coalwood?

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union began the space race by launching the satellite Sputnik. The next day, it orbited over the continental United States. In October Sky, the movie based on Sputnik's launch, the residents of Coalwood went out and watched it from their yards and wondered what it meant. This was during the height of the Cold War, and some people thought the Soviet Union could drop nuclear bombs from...

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union began the space race by launching the satellite Sputnik. The next day, it orbited over the continental United States. In October Sky, the movie based on Sputnik's launch, the residents of Coalwood went out and watched it from their yards and wondered what it meant. This was during the height of the Cold War, and some people thought the Soviet Union could drop nuclear bombs from the satellite. Others wondered why the Soviets were able to launch something into space that America could not do yet.  

In the movie, the launch of the Soviet satellite made the boys work harder on their own rocket plans and inspired them to make aeronautical science their future careers. In the America of that time period, politicians spent more money on science and technology in an effort to beat the Soviets. Sending an American into space and putting a man on the Moon became an American priority. John F. Kennedy was able to harness this spirit in his inaugural address when he promised an American would walk on the Moon before the end of the 1960s.