USSR launches Sputnik 2 which carried a small dog named Laika into orbit
Explorer 1
The first American satellite to reach orbit, is launched. It carried scientific equipment that lead to the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belt.
Luna 1 is launched by the USSR. It is the first man made object to orbit the Sun
Yuri Gagarin orbits the Earth once and becomes the first man in space
Alan B. Shepard becomes the first American in space
Alexei Leonov spends 12 minutes outside of his Voskhod spacecraft performing the first spacewalk.
Ed White performs America's first spacewalk. Jim McDivitt remains in the Gemini capsule.
U.S. Lunar Orbiter 1 enters moon orbit, and takes the first picture of the Earth from the distance of the moon.
Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders begin the first manned journey from the Earth to the Moon. On Christmas Eve they take turns reading Genesis in a broadcast heard around the world
Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin become the first men to walk on the Moon while crewmate Michael Collins orbits around the Moon alone.
Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, Jr. make the first manned soft landing on the Moon, and the first moonwalk, using Apollo 11
Apollo 13 is launched, suffering an explosion in its SM oxygen tanks. Its Moon landing is aborted, and the crew, James A. Lovell, Jr., John L. Swigert, Jr. and Fred W. Haise, Jr., return safely.
Salyut 1, First Space station by Soviet Union
Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin drive the first moon rover.
Pioneer 10 becomes the first man-made object to travel through the asteroid belt.
