Today in History: October 4, Soviets launch Sputnik, spark the Space Age

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Today is Saturday, Oct. 4, the 277th day of 2025. There are 88 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 4, 1957, the Space Age began as the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, into orbit.

Also on this date:

In 1777, Gen. George Washington’s troops launched an assault on the British at Germantown, Pennsylvania, resulting in heavy American casualties and the retreat of Washington's Continental Army.

In 1927, sculptor Gutzon Borglum began construction on what is now Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

In 1965, Pope Paul VI became the first pope to visit the Western Hemisphere as he addressed the U.N. General Assembly.

In 1970, rock singer Janis Joplin was found dead in her Hollywood hotel room at age 27.

In 2001, a Russian airliner flying from Israel to Siberia was accidentally downed by a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile over the Black Sea, killing all 78 people aboard.

In 2002, “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh received a 20-year sentence after a sobbing plea for forgiveness before a federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia. (He was released from prison in May, 2019.)

In 2004, the SpaceShipOne rocket plane broke through Earth’s atmosphere to the edge of space for the second time in five days, capturing the $10 million Ansari X prize aimed at opening the final frontier to tourists.

Today’s Birthdays: Baseball Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa is 81. Actor Susan Sarandon is 79. Actor Armand Assante is 76. Actor Christoph Waltz is 69. Singer Jon Secada is 64. Actor Liev Schreiber is 58. Actor Abraham Benrubi is 56. Actor Alicia Silverstone is 49. Actor Caitríona Balfe is 46. Actor Rachael Leigh Cook is 46. Actor Melissa Benoist is 37. NBA All-Star Derrick Rose is 37. Actor Dakota Johnson is 36.