I remember the precise moment I first heard about Sputnik.
I was sitting in front of the TV in my horse-head pajamas, watching "Leave It to Beaver" and eating a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. Suddenly, the station manager broke in with an announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen..." he intoned gravely. "We've just received word that the Soviets have launched a satellite that they call 'Sputnik' into outer space. It is now orbiting the earth."
"Holy shit!" I remember thinking. "What the fuck happened to 'Leave It to Beaver'? Who's THIS fuckin' asshole?"
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Legend, oh legend, the third wheel legend...always in the way.