U.S. History

50th Anniversary of the Sputnik Launch Roundtable Discussion

Matthew Brzezinski; Paul Dickson; Gene Eisman

About the Program

On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik, the first satellite into outer space.  The authors of three books commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Sputnik launch discuss the Soviet and U.S. space race and the effect that Sputnik's launch had on each country.  The panelists include Paul Dickson, "Sputnik: The Shock of the Century," Matthew Brzezinski "Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivalries that Ignited the Space Age" and Gene Eisman "Epic Rivalry: The Inside Story of the Soviet and American Space Race" co-written with Von Hardesty.

About the Authors

Paul Dickson

Paul DicksonPaul Dickson is the author of over forty books, including "The Bonus Army: An American Epic" and "The Hidden Language of Baseball." He is the co-creator of the documentary film, "The Fever of '57" which chronicles the Sputnik launch.
Buy the author's book from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

Matthew Brzezinski

Matthew BrzezinskiMatthew Brzezinski is the author of "Fortress America: On the Front Lines of Homeland Security" and "Casino Moscow: A Tale of Greed and Adventure on Capitalism's Wildest Frontier." He was formerly a Moscow correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.
Buy the author's book from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

Gene Eisman

Gene EismanGene Eisman is a researcher and journalist.
Buy the author's book from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

Program Information

Watch This Program
Watch This Program

Past Airings

  • Sunday, October 7th at 12am (ET)
  • Saturday, October 6th at 12pm (ET)
American Icons Thee DVD Pack