Terrified Americans After Sputnik (1957) Launched. What They Said On NYC Streets

I love watching interviews of people on the streets just saying what they think. This incredible man-on-the-streets (NYC) recording was made either right after the launch of Sputnik 1 in October 1957 or after the launch of Sputnik 2 just one month later with the dog Laika aboard.
Everyone has and opinion. Especially when it relates to defense, security, science, or, among many other subjects, animal-rights.
Here is why Americans were afraid after the first artificial satellite Sputnik 1 launched. The event triggered a significant reaction provoking fear and anxiety among Americans.
Cold War Tensions: At the time, the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in a fierce Cold War, which was marked by intense competition and suspicion between the two superpowers. The launch of Sputnik was seen as a significant technological achievement by the Soviet Union, which raised concerns that the United States was falling behind in the arms race.
National Security Concerns: Many Americans were worried that Sputnik could be used for military purposes, such as spying on the United States or launching missiles. This raised concerns about the country's national security and the potential for the Soviet Union to gain an advantage in the arms race.
Educational Concerns: The launch of Sputnik also exposed shortcomings in the American education system, particularly in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The fact that the Soviet Union had beaten the United States in the race to put a satellite into orbit was seen as evidence that American schools were failing to produce the kinds of skilled workers needed for the country's technological future.
Fear of Soviet Domination: The launch of Sputnik contributed to a widespread fear among Americans that the Soviet Union was surpassing the United States in terms of economic, technological, and military power. This led to concerns about the future of American democracy and the possibility that the Soviet Union would become the dominant global superpower.
Here is why Americans were afraid after the launch of Sputnik 2 with the sweet Street dog Laika aboard.
Concerns about Animal Cruelty: Many people were upset about the fact that Laika had been sent into space without any plan for her to return safely to Earth. It was later revealed that Laika had died within hours of the launch due to overheating caused by a malfunction in the spacecraft. This led to concerns about the welfare of animals used in space exploration and about the ethics of animal experimentation.
Fear of Human Casualties: The fact that the Soviet Union was able to launch a living creature into space raised concerns about the possibility of human casualties in future space missions. There were fears that the Soviet Union would attempt to send humans into space, and that this could lead to a space race in which human lives would be put at risk.
Technological Advances: The launch of Sputnik 2 also highlighted the Soviet Union's continued progress in space exploration and its technological capabilities. This raised concerns among Americans that the United States was falling behind in the space race and that the Soviet Union was gaining an advantage in terms of military, economic, and technological power.
Cold War Tensions: The launch of Sputnik 2 occurred during the height of the Cold War, and there were concerns that the Soviet Union's technological advances could be used for military purposes. There were fears that the Soviet Union could use space technology to gain an advantage in the arms race, and that this could lead to a nuclear war.
I have made two long form documentaries on Sputnik and its aftermath in the USA. I have posted many clips from these documentaries on my KZbin channel. Here is one you might find of interest - • The Moment Sputnik Ter...
To support my efforts to present more clips from my archive please click the Super Thanks button below the video screen. Your support and the support of other subscribers make my continuing to do this possible.
Thank you
David Hoffman filmmaker

[@zombieapocalypse3837]

I like the last man's response, "the world has always been on the edge of catastrophe since its existence...", today its still nuclear annihilation and/or climate change. And yet, here we still are. Thanks David for a trip down memory lane.

[@Tester-sh1mn]

Here we are… for the moment.

[@zombieapocalypse3837]

@@Tester-sh1mn We'll talk again next year and the year after and the year after ... up to the point that one of dies of natural causes.

[@BradThePitts]

You might want to check out the book "The End is Always Near". It speaks about how any given time in history, there was always something that people think will doom society.

[@zombieapocalypse3837]

@@BradThePitts Just ordered it and subscribed to Dan Carlin's podcast, it sounds interesting. Thanks for the tip.

[@max-herzog]

"the scale is much larger"

[@bonniekeough244]

I was so removed from society growing up in the Ozarks I never even heard of the Cuban missile crisis until I was an adult.

[@mentilly_all]

good

[@GemstoneActual]

Good for you. Social firewall, FTW.

[@patriciablue2739]

I love the fact that the last guy was just a regular man on the street that knew history enough to be critical.

[@rickdaystar477]

I remember Sputnik and the local evening news told us when it could be seen flying over one night. We saw it when my dad brought my brother and myself out into the night to see it. It seemed scary to us kids especially at that time of getting under our desks in school and the general fear of " the Bomb" We had a makeshift bomb shelter in our basement which made it even more real to us. Propaganda kept us in fear of the Soviet Union.

[@CarterKey6]

Lol still is

[@rickdaystar477]

@@npip99 Propaganda can good or bad meaning " good" propaganda can bolster the feeling of well being about something in public opinion to favor the positive. "Bad" propaganda is used to induce fear or give false information to sway opinions against an enemy. The Soviet Union kept it's population under control with propaganda. In the 80's I met several Russians that lived through the cold war an emigrated to the US. They told me that Russian press constantly told the population Americans were war mongers and they were a threat to the Soviet Union. Sounds familiar? The US government constantly told us we always had to be prepared because Russia was a threat and on the verge of a nuclear war. Did we ever have a nuclear war started by either side? No. But the threat told to the Russian population sacrifice was necessary for the struggle to stay free from American aggression..Empty shelves and no opportunity for prosperity was the price " good Russians" had to pay to keep free from the American warmongers..

[@aprilmorris4588]

I grew up shortly after children were taught to duck under desks, but as a Gen-Xer, fear and distrust of Russia ( the Soviet Union, back then) were always present. Even after the Berlin Wall fell and so did the Soviets, that unease never stopped. For others, it stopped after the start of Desert Storm and switched places. But there's always a "Bad Guy."

[@brianmorgan5880]

I was only a few months old when Sputnik happened so I have no recollection of the fear it generated. Our elementary school's drill had us walk out of the classroom to the hallway where we were told to stand with our backs to the cinder block wall, should-to-shoulder. I can only imagine the reason why. Perhaps over the fear that the classroom's windows would shatter from the blast. My school was less than 10 miles from Manhattan.

[@natonews2151]

Im not saying you didnt experience what you did, but it would be almost impossible too see the sputnik flying overhead from earth, it was a very small ball several hundred miles in the sky.

[@brianarbenz1329]

Because Sputnik was launched, the U.S. built more schools, passed the first federal aid to education, started the President's Physical Fitness Program, and issued a call for reading improvement initiatives that resulted in Dr. Seuss publishing "The Cat in the Hat." All thanks to a little beeping steel ball that posed no threat to us. So thanks, Sputnik. You gave me my childhood!

[@idiotwind2248]

Found it interesting that 1 said he didn't believe it happened. He more or less called it " fake news" I also love those man on the street interviews in NY. The streets & blgs in the background. Black & white film. Yeah...Good stuff

[@beccacolinwhitman1765]

Love the content. You do a very good job at keeping the interest going throughout. I’ve learned more from you now than probably about 90 percent of the people I have met. Thank you loads. !

[@drewpall2598]

I love these man-on-the-street interviews you don't know what they're going to say and usually they say what in their mind. great write up in your description it gives a little background on what was going on back then. 😊👍 Thanks, David Hoffman

[@kneelingcatholic]

👍 very sensible people back then! I know David doesn't like nostalgia, but I am saddened by today's situation. Whatever happened to thoughtful people like this?

[@leonhardable]

social media and big corporations happened 😕

[@cheffboyaryeezy2496]

They exist in abundance today. You just dont like what they think

[@kneelingcatholic]

@@cheffboyaryeezy2496, Hopin' you are right. But I am afraid the average 'person on a NYC street' would not have a sufficient grasp of even the basic facts --which are the prerequisites for having a thought or an opinion on a topic. I grant that most know their own professional sphere BUT they seem to let other people (twitter, utube, fb, MSM) do their thinking for them regarding fundamental questions. E G the question: ' Is it worth risking a nuclear war in order to kick Russia out of Donbass and Crimea?' Most opinion polls say Americans are willing to 'go there' in order to defend democracy. Such a response suggests that Americans don't understand what a nuclear war is or what one would do to democracy.🙁

[@blobdob1368]

@@leonhardable one man literally calls it a conspiracy without any evidence or logic. People have always been stupid

[@blobdob1368]

@@kneelingcatholic the answer should be, is it worth allowing russia to steam roll any nation it wants under threat of nuclear war. We have no troops in ukraine if they consider a lend lease program as provocation for nuclear war they are terrorists who couldn’t be negotiated with from the beginning.

[@customerguy8581]

Great upload as usual, David. This channel continues to rock, as expected.

[@unzarjones]

More concerned/disappointed than "terrified", with a little "oh well" mixed in.

[@moniquemosley2122]

Mr. Hoffman, you are worth more than a crummy algorithm and in honor of that, I binged on your videos today. And I let the "damn things run." We value YOU, Sir. 🎯😊👍💯

[@Xeirus911]

Loooves seeing interviews like this from the 50's. Always so interesting to see how people thought and acted about current events without the benefit of hindsight like we have. I saw a similar video once where they interviewed people about smoking and people didn't believe the reports and said it was in gods hands. Crazy stuff! Love the videos!

[@brianmorgan5880]

"In God's hands," you need to understand that at the time, Americans and much of the West were freedom-loving people. World War II ended only a decade earlier. We knew the risks of engaging in certain behaviors, but we made our choices, and thank God we lived in a country that honored it. These days you don't have the freedom to live life the way you wish. Furthermore, you don't understand how much happier you could be. Look at all of the videos that our host provides. What do you see? I see intelligent everyday people. Compare that to what you see on TV today...mostly unhinged blather.

[@RavenNl403]

Thank you David ❤️

[@TheDavejmcknight]

Excellent, Mr H!

[@TheFartoholic]

Probably not a random selection of people but I'm still impressed by how cogent these responses are compared to what you'd get from a random pedestrian in 2023.

[@cherylcallahan5402]

David Hoffman Sputnik appreciate your videos Listening 🌼 From Mass USA TYVM 🇺🇸 David Blessings to all

[@brittybee6615]

Why is it the average man on the street back then sounds like they could be a radio announcer nowadays.

[@xeronicus]

Because the average person these days has no voice of their own, they copy what they hear and refuse to think for themselves.

[@rw6723]

Sir We appreciate you. Bringing history to life and into present. Those who forget the past will be doomed of repeating failure. GOD bless you GOD bless Texas GOD bless America

[@catsruleacbanonogismanbo6107]

Cool footage.

[@5150Rockstar]

It didn’t have to be this way. We were allies in the war. A handful of idiots making these awful decisions.

[@leonhardable]

You never were allies. you both fought Nazis, which were worse than the US or the Soviets, but they never were actual allies. the Entente(FR UK US) were allies. there was plans in both countries to keep the Steam rolling and not stop After Germany, and if the russians hadnt been so depleted, Europe would look much differently.

[@alexanderrahl482]

Soviets were never truly allies

[@ezekiel3791]

People were much calmer back then, although the possibility of the conflict was way higher. It seems that every reason for fear today is good enough.

[@Downecker]

I'm 74 and remember seeing Sputnik from my back yard with my family! It looked like a moving star ! Wow!😂😮

[@johnd5619]

very balanced, reasonable opinions all things considered. Not like today, that's for sure.

[@PhilMoskowitz]

When I was in second grade elementary that's when they first started teaching kids "New Math". Even in 2nd grade they were teaching us concepts like set theory and matrices. They were grooming us to become computer programmers. All that was a response to Sputnik.

[@debboyea9567]

I remember this from when I was very young!

[@MomentsInTrading]

Before my time. However, I do remember when Voyager sent back photos from Jupiter. It was the first time the newspaper printed color photos.

[@garysarghview7277]

I saw a similar sputnik. Just above my house once.

[@Black_Jesus3005]

1:43 based

[@BattleBound]

Conspiracy theories even back then. Not so different from today!

[@MrExasperation]

Important to remember that both sides in the Cold War were developing spaceflight so they could launch nuclear missiles at each other. If you can put something in orbit, you can land it anywhere on Earth. I would have been terrified, too.

[@berniethejet]

Seems this isn't about sputnik but about Gagarin.

[@C.Chandler_May]

Thank God it wasn't a balloon...

[@carmelbrain7399]

wow

[@clydecraft5642]

Its because back then there was no options, educate yourself or be a delinquent

[@archlich4489]

It's crazy to think something's starting again. 😞

[@mentilly_all]

stop trusting mainstream

[@matthewfarmer2520]

What is Sputnik 🤔 never heard of it. Thanks for sharing David Film maker 🎥🙂🎞️

[@isaiahjoseph7352]

Russian satellite that was successfully launched into space, all it really could do though is beep while orbiting the earth

[@leonhardable]

The First sattellites humanity ever shot up, basically the starting Shot for us entering space.

[@2Sugarbears]

The first craft to orbit the earth.

[@larsulrich2761]

It looks like this was filmed on April 12th, 1961 or a bit thereafter. The New York Herald Tribune says, "It's So! A Russian in Space, Orbits Earth Coming Back. I simply can't make out the photo but some of the people talk like the Cosmonaut is a person and not an animal. One man mentions risk & safety which also implies more towards a human occupant rather than a dog.

[@2Sugarbears]

He was a person his name was Uri Gragaron.

[@ArtificialBanana]

Did you film this when you were 14?

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

In 1957 I was 16 years old but I did not film this in any case. David Hoffman

[@midimusicforever]

It's heating up again now. Or getting colder.

[@TheGTAVC3]

2nd guy sounds like Howard Sterns dad lol

[@davidalexoff1658]

Like to see more of these. Imagine if we had the internet, Facebook, utube, etc. back in the 60's, 70's.......

[@leonhardable]

it would be a cool timecapsule, but seeing what it does to people, i thank god they didnt.

[@Downecker]

Glad we didn't! A generation of weak , narcissistic types grew up so entitled as internet grew!

[@ahmedh5361]

I love how people believed in their country.

[@LindaCasey]

Indeed, there has never been a time in human history when doom and gloom hasn't hovered over our heads putting the fear of God into us, but we're still here. Some of us also expect the worse of some unknown foe about to pull the rug out from under us so we'll have to build more weapons, stockpile more guns and quake in anxious fear that some awful thing out there is going to get us. There'll be those of us who call upon some angelic force to save us from ourselves and in the meantime, we'll be missing out on the absolute BEAUTY of a magical world that surrounds us all of the time. What we focus on, IS. Thoughts ARE things so think highly of the world and its inhabitants who are only here temporarily in spirit having a human experience anyway. 🕊

[@ddave7026]

Suit stores must have made a killing back then

[@Lanooski]

Me every time a billionaire does literally anything in the sky.

[@nevermind824]

Is this sputnik or Yuri Gagarin?

[@valpyatigorsky7591]

Fake news guy proves there were always people like that

[@Democratic_Industrialism]

😂 The Chinese spy balloons had nothing on the Sputnik that just sent out beep tones

[@C.O._Jones]

It seems as though some of the people asked don’t have a clue as to what they’re talking about. One man seems to think Sputnik was a manned spacecraft?

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

They did not know what it was in those early days. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@C.O._Jones]

@@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker Yet they confidently voiced an opinion about it. It’s oddly reassuring to see that people haven’t changed.

[@crosxroadhxrmony]

Brain food. 🤜🤛👉💥💥💥🙏🙏🙏

[@katferguson]

The Russians were doing and Americans are minding the Russian's business.

[@thenegativoneify]

Only 1 person was bothered by it...way to clickbait a title

[@crossroadskeeper347]

It worked didn't it?

[@Awoo-]

They seem truly terrified, absolutely quaking, definitely worthy of describing them as terrified in the title.

[@grantdustin1]

🛰️ | Interesting 0:28