The Story Of The Sputnik Moment

Please purchase my DVD at https://www.createspace.com/256957 . I made the 2008 feature documentary, Sputnik Mania. Critics and allies told me that I had to tell the story of what happened to American education during that period, how we changed ourselves so radically in science, engineering, and math -- our complete education system really. With the help of one wonderful collector of old footage, I made this story for schools, teachers, educational leaders. It shows what happens, and the footage proves it.

Category:

Education

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• 1958
• Sputnik
• Eisenhower legacy
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• David Hoffman
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• Soviet threat
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[KurtRileyOfficial]

The bit in the middle about the American Dream made me tear up a little bit. I'm 24, and I don't think my generation or those after us will ever see that again.

[allinaday]

@KurtRileyOfficial I do not disagree with your feeling and am concerned for your generation and for America. It is very sad that the beautiful and innocent hope that Americans had for the American dream has become clouded with doubt --  and possibly for good reason.

Thank you David Hoffman–filmmaker

[Ortzmet]

It's unfair to include the comment by economist Barbara Ward at 20:25. She was not expressing doubts about American progress in rocketry, satellites, or other technical fields. Barbara Ward dedicated her life to advocacy for the poor in developing countries, the environment, and sustainable development. Barbara Ward is author of Spaceship Earth (1966), co-author of Only One Earth: The Care and Maintenance of a Small Planet (1972), helped Jewish refugees during WWII, and founder of IIED (1971).

[allinaday]

@Ortzmet I am sure that Barbara Ward is who you say she is, but she did make that comment on television in relation to the launch of Sputnik and how the world, including her, looked at America immediately after it. Thank you for your comment David Hoffman–filmmaker

[TheBenbarton]

Nice how he missed Yuri Gagarin who orbited the earth way before the US got to the moon, also the Russians never had a moon program, they won the space race and moved on to economic reforms.

[allinaday]

@TheBenbarton Your comment is interesting but nothing to do with my movie. My movie is about what America did and didn't do, and not about Russia. It is about America's reaction. Try to see the whole film when you have time.

David Hoffman–filmmaker

[REPOMAN24722]

We need the USSR back, only economic competition can solve the economic crisis.

[LosParedonesMexico]

30:37 Crisis in Education.

2011-2012 Why does it seem worse? People nowadays can't even spell simple words. Sad.

[diamondmouseusc]

back to 60s, the smartest kids went to engineering and science school and found a job in industry; now, the smartest kids went to business school and found a job in Wall street...

[Frankeinstein127]

@edwardmurrow84 nope learning about history ^^

[Salment]

Stroy of sputnik! Seems to be about america, and its jelousy or other nations accomplishments

[krenim786]

no yuri gagarin! and the space race was won FOR america by Werner Von braun and his team of German scientists very little to do with US education system...Also Sergei Korolev died and the CCCP never funded a moon landing properly HOWEVER except Saturn V and the moon shot the USSR owned the US as far as space was concerned.Even today US needs Russian Soyuz to reach the ISS.

[edwardmurrow84]

is it bad that I'm not doing my homework and find more interest watching this documentary?

[EEEL123]

By the way, although the Russians fired their satellite into space first, the Americans already had the capability. Not long after the USSR launched the Sputnik, the Americans launched the Explorer 1 with their Juno 1 rocket. The Jupiter-C (of which the Juno 1 was a variant) was successfully fired to a new altitude record in late 1956, and could have sent a satellite into oribt. So, even though the Soviets did it first, the Americans could have done it earlier.