Did the Space Age Begin on a Lie?

Summary

This script delves into the historical narrative surrounding the launch of Sputnik 1, challenging the widely accepted story of widespread panic and fear it supposedly caused in the US. It suggests that the 'Sputnik crisis' was possibly a manufactured event to justify the establishment of agencies like NASA and DARPA, and increased defense spending. The speaker explores evidence that the scientific and defense communities were aware of Sputnik's impending launch, contradicting the notion of shock and urgency. The script raises questions about the use of crises, real or fabricated, to drive societal progress and maintain control over public perception.

Takeaways

• 🛰️ The script discusses the launch of Sputnik on October 4, 1957, by the Soviets, which initiated the Cold War Space Race and was a significant event in the history of space exploration.
• 🎶 The author humorously notes the pronunciation of 'Sputnik' and the subsequent creation of the term 'Space Race' as a more appealing alternative.
• 🔬 The launch of Sputnik led to the establishment of ARPA (later DARPA) and NASA, as well as the National Defense Education Act, indicating a significant shift in American scientific and educational priorities.
• 📰 The script suggests that the public reaction to Sputnik was not universally one of fear and anxiety, but rather a mix of indifference, curiosity, and even humor, challenging the narrative of a 'Sputnik crisis'.
• 🎓 The National Defense Education Act was passed in response to Sputnik, despite initial resistance to federal aid for education, showing a change in public policy influenced by the event.
• 🤔 The script questions the portrayal of widespread hysteria following Sputnik's launch, suggesting that the actual public reaction was more nuanced and less dramatic than often reported.
• 📈 The author highlights the role of media and elites in potentially exaggerating the public's fear and anxiety for political or strategic reasons, creating an 'elite panic' rather than a mass panic.
• 🕊️ The script points out that both the US and the Soviet Union were expected to launch satellites as part of the International Geophysical Year, indicating prior knowledge and planning that contradicts the narrative of surprise.
• 📝 A memo from the National Academy of Sciences in 1957 revealed that detailed Soviet plans for Sputnik were known to the US scientific and defense communities well in advance of the launch.
• 🚀 The script mentions that the US had its own satellites ready for launch before Sputnik but was under orders not to launch them, suggesting a complex political and strategic context behind the events.
• 🌌 The author concludes by reflecting on the broader implications of the Sputnik narrative, questioning the use of crises—real or manufactured—to drive societal and technological progress, and expressing a desire for a future based on truth rather than lies.

Q & A

What significant event occurred on October 4th, 1957, that sparked the Cold War Space Race?

The Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik 1, the first manmade satellite to be put into orbit, which initiated the Cold War Space Race.

Why was the launch of Sputnik 1 considered a shock to the American public?

The launch of Sputnik 1 was seen as a shock because it demonstrated that the Soviet Union had advanced space technology that surpassed that of the United States, which was still finalizing its plans for a satellite launch.

What was the role of the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) in the wake of Sputnik's launch?

President Eisenhower created ARPA on February 7th, 1958, in response to the launch of Sputnik, to ensure that the United States would not fall behind in technological advancements during the Cold War.

How did the launch of Sputnik 1 influence the creation of NASA?

The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 was passed and signed into law in July, leading to the official establishment of NASA, as a direct response to the Sputnik launch and the need for a dedicated space exploration agency.

What was the National Defense Education Act, and how was it related to the Sputnik launch?

The National Defense Education Act was passed in September 1958 in response to Sputnik's launch, aiming to strengthen federal aid to education, particularly in science and technology, to ensure the United States could compete in the Cold War.

What was the 'Sputnik crisis' as described in the script?

The 'Sputnik crisis' refers to a period of public fear and anxiety in Western nations about the perceived technological gap between the United States and the Soviet Union, caused by the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1.

How did the media's portrayal of the American public's reaction to Sputnik 1 differ from the actual public sentiment?

The media portrayed a widespread panic and fear among the American public, while the actual sentiment was more mixed, with many people showing excitement or indifference rather than the feared hysteria.

What evidence is there to suggest that the American scientific community was aware of Sputnik's launch well in advance?

A memo from the National Academy of Sciences dated June 1957 indicates that the American scientific community knew about the Soviet plans to launch an artificial Earth satellite since 1955 as part of the International Geophysical Year.

Why does the script suggest that the narrative of a 'Sputnik crisis' may have been exaggerated or manufactured?

The script suggests that the narrative was exaggerated because it points out the lack of actual public hysteria, the advanced knowledge of the scientific community, and the potential for the crisis to serve as a justification for increased spending on aerospace endeavors.

What was the impact of the Sputnik launch on the perception of a technological gap between the US and the USSR?

The launch of Sputnik created an illusion of a technological gap, which was used to justify increased spending on aerospace endeavors and to spur on the development of American space technology.

What alternative narrative does the script present regarding the American public's reaction to Sputnik?

The script presents an alternative narrative that the American public was not as terrified as previously thought, with many showing excitement or indifference, and that the perception of a crisis may have been manufactured for political purposes.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 The Sputnik Launch and Its Impact

The script begins with a reflection on the curiosity about space and the historical significance of Sputnik 1's launch on October 4, 1957. It highlights the shock and the 'Sputnik crisis' that ensued in the United States, leading to the creation of ARPA (which later became DARPA) and NASA. The narrative describes the public's reaction, the media's role in amplifying fear, and the political and educational responses, including the National Defense Education Act. The paragraph also touches on the idea that the launch was not as surprising as it was portrayed to be, hinting at a possible overreaction and the manipulation of public sentiment.

05:01

📰 Media Hysteria vs. Public Indifference

This paragraph delves into the discrepancy between the media's portrayal of widespread fear and anxiety following Sputnik's launch and the actual public response, which seemed more indifferent or even dismissive of the perceived threat. It discusses the sensationalist approach of newspapers like the New York Times and the contrasting views of politicians and military officials, who were indeed concerned about the technological gap with the Soviet Union. The script also points out the propaganda-like nature of some media coverage and the potential for this to be a tool for psychological warfare, rather than a reflection of genuine public sentiment.

10:02

🤔 Questioning the Sputnik Panic Narrative

The speaker questions the narrative of mass panic following Sputnik's launch, citing evidence that suggests the American scientific and defense communities were aware of the Soviet plans well in advance. The paragraph discusses a memo from the National Academy of Sciences indicating prior knowledge of the satellite launch as part of the International Geophysical Year. It challenges the idea that the launch was a shock to the public and suggests that the 'Sputnik crisis' may have been more of a media and elite-driven panic than a genuine public reaction.

15:06

🎭 The Manufactured Crisis of Sputnik

This section of the script continues to unravel the myth of the Sputnik crisis, suggesting that the panic was manufactured and not a genuine public response. It points out that the launch was part of a known scientific program and that the public was not as hysterical as reported. The speaker criticizes the tendency to start major initiatives based on lies and crises, questioning the motives behind creating an illusion of a technological gap to justify increased spending on aerospace endeavors.

20:06

🛰️ The Untold Story of American Satellites

The script reveals that the United States had its own satellites ready for launch before Sputnik but were mysteriously ordered not to do so, which could have changed the narrative of the space race. It discusses an article from October 25, 1957, that mentions mothballed satellites in Huntsville, Alabama, and ponders the reasons behind this decision. The paragraph reinforces the idea that the launch of Sputnik and the subsequent reactions may have been part of a larger, more complex political and psychological strategy.

25:07

🌌 The Enduring Legacy of Sputnik and the Quest for Truth

The final paragraph reflects on the enduring impact of Sputnik and the ongoing quest for truth about the events surrounding its launch. It criticizes the perpetuation of the crisis narrative and the tendency to base progress on manufactured crises. The speaker expresses frustration with the prevalence of lies and misinformation in historical accounts and the implications this has for the future of humanity's exploration of space and the pursuit of knowledge.

Keywords

💡Sputnik

Sputnik refers to the first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. It was a pivotal event that marked the beginning of the space age and the start of the Cold War Space Race. In the script, Sputnik is portrayed as a catalyst for the creation of ARPA, which later became DARPA, and NASA, illustrating its profound impact on the United States' scientific and defense initiatives.

💡Cold War Space Race

The Cold War Space Race was a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to achieve superior spaceflight capabilities. It was a significant aspect of the broader Cold War, reflecting the ideological and technological rivalry between the two superpowers. The script discusses how the launch of Sputnik initiated this race, influencing American policy and public consciousness.

💡ARPA/DARPA

ARPA, which stands for the Advanced Research Projects Agency, was established in 1958 in response to Sputnik's launch. It was later renamed DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The script mentions ARPA/DARPA as an example of the U.S. government's response to perceived technological threats, highlighting its role in funding cutting-edge research.

💡NASA

NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was founded in 1958 as a result of the National Aeronautics and Space Act. The script describes NASA's creation as a direct response to Sputnik, indicating the satellite's influence on shaping U.S. space exploration and research.

💡National Defense Education Act

The National Defense Education Act was passed in 1958, partly in response to the Sputnik launch. It aimed to support education to strengthen national defense, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The script refers to this act as another policy outcome of the Sputnik crisis, reflecting the U.S. government's reaction to the perceived Soviet technological advantage.

💡Sputnik Crisis

The term 'Sputnik Crisis' is used in the script to describe the period of public fear and anxiety in Western nations following the launch of Sputnik. It is characterized by the perceived technological gap between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The script challenges the narrative of widespread hysteria, suggesting that the crisis may have been overstated or manufactured.

💡Elite Panic

Elite Panic, as mentioned in the script, refers to the reaction of the political and scientific elite to the Sputnik launch, which was characterized by a sense of urgency and the need for action. The script suggests that this panic may have been more about policy and funding opportunities rather than a genuine public sentiment.

💡International Geophysical Year

The International Geophysical Year was an 18-month scientific project that took place from 1957 to 1958, involving scientists from 60 countries. It aimed to study Earth and its environment. The script reveals that both the U.S. and Soviet Union's satellite launches were planned as part of this scientific endeavor, contradicting the narrative that Sputnik was a surprise.

💡Manufactured Crisis

A 'Manufactured Crisis' is a situation where a crisis is created or exaggerated for political or strategic purposes. The script uses this term to question the authenticity of the public's reaction to Sputnik, suggesting that the sense of urgency and fear may have been overstated to justify increased funding and policy changes.

💡Propaganda

Propaganda refers to information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a particular political cause or point of view. The script discusses the role of propaganda in shaping the narrative around Sputnik, suggesting that the U.S. public was influenced by selective reporting and fear-mongering to support increased defense spending and scientific investment.

💡Psychological Warfare

Psychological Warfare involves the use of actions and tactics to influence the emotions and thoughts of a target audience, often for political purposes. The script mentions psychological warfare experts being called upon to create a new name for American satellites to stir national pride, indicating the strategic use of language and symbols in response to Sputnik.

Highlights

The launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, was a pivotal moment in history, sparking the Cold War Space Race and leading to the creation of ARPA and NASA.

Sputnik's launch was part of the scientific program for the International Geophysical Year, a fact well-known to the scientific and defense communities prior to its launch.

Contrary to popular narratives, the public was not universally terrified by Sputnik; instead, there was a mix of reactions, including excitement and indifference.

The perception of a technological gap created by Sputnik was more of an illusion used to justify increased spending on aerospace endeavors.

The so-called 'Sputnik crisis' appears to be a manufactured panic, with evidence suggesting that the public was not as hysterical as claimed by some historians.

The American scientific community and defense sector were aware of Soviet plans to launch an artificial Earth satellite as early as 1955.

Despite knowing about the Soviet plans, the U.S. Army had satellites ready to launch but was under orders not to, which could have changed the narrative of the Space Race.

The media played a significant role in shaping the public's perception of the Sputnik launch, with some outlets emphasizing fear and others focusing on trivia and humor.

The launch of Sputnik led to the National Defense Education Act, which had previously faced strong resistance but was pushed through in response to the event.

The narrative of the Sputnik crisis as the '9/11 of its time' is challenged by the lack of evidence supporting widespread public hysteria.

The transcript suggests that the Space Age was initiated on a false premise, with the true story being more complex and less dramatic than commonly portrayed.

The speaker criticizes the reliance on manufactured crises to drive progress, questioning why society cannot embrace the future without fear or deception.

The transcript highlights the role of elite panic, rather than mass panic, in shaping the priorities and programs of the early space age.

The speaker reflects on the broader implications of starting major endeavors on lies and the potential consequences for the future of humanity.

The transcript concludes with a call for a reevaluation of the historical narrative surrounding Sputnik and a critique of the continued use of crisis as a catalyst for change.

Transcripts

[Laughter]

I look up at the night sky probably

every single night and I

wonder all the time what were not being

told about

space and I fell down this rabbit hole

and it's just a little aside but I

thought you should see

this radio listeners on October 4th 1957

may have heard a series of beeps coming

over their radios as that's the day

history generally acknowledges that the

Soviets launched

[Music]

Sputnik on October the 4th

1957 while the Americans were still

finalizing their plans Sputnik was

launched

which I think is pronounced

Sputnik but I'm going to pronounce it

Sputnik because sputnick sounds

ridiculous sorry I not gonna do

it CBS Television presents a special

report on Sputnik 1 the Soviet space

satellite Douglas Edwards

reporting until 2 days ago that sound

had never been heard on this Earth

suddenly it has become as much a part of

20th century life as the were of your

vacuum cleaner Sputnik was the first

manmade satellite put into

orbit which beat out the US Vanguard

satellit and officially touched off the

Cold War Space

Race in fact just a month afterwards

Soviet Premier Nikita kushev was on the

front page of us papers challenging the

US to a competition of space

Sputnik which just sounds lame I mean

you should just go with Space Race

competition of space Sputnik just sounds

silly Sputnik is the single event that

is credited with the entire reason why

President Eisenhower created arpa the

advanced research projects Agency on

February 7th 1958 which would eventually

be changed to DARPA but also the

creation of NASA which was made official

with the National Aeronautics and Space

Act of 1958 which was passed and signed

into law that July and then a few months

later in September 1958 the National

Defense Education Act was passed as well

again in response to the launch of

Sputnik and on the official Senate

website for the ndea it actually says

there had been strong resistance to

federal aid to education but as public

opinion demanded government action in

the wake of Sputnik blah blah blah blah

blah had to shove this through the

launching of Sputnik is so Central that

it's credited not only with changing the

entire course of the Cold War but with

the official start of the Space

Age already many plans are being

Advanced for the coming age of man in

space and the other part of that story

that's gone down in history is this idea

that Americans were just so hysterical

and terrified that the Soviets launched

a satellite into space that is now in

the 21st century been referred to as the

911 of its time Sputnik was the 9/11 of

our day people were shocked that Russia

had a technology that could do this and

we

didn't today a new moon is in the sky a

23in metal sphere placed in orbit by a

Russian rocket here in our conception of

how the feat was accomplished former

Chief historian of NASA Roger lonus

wrote quote Sputnik Knight as 45 October

has come to be called reverberated

through the American public in the days

that followed two generations after the

event words do not easily convey the

American reaction to the Soviet

satellite the only appropriate

characterization that begins to capture

the mood on 5 October involves the use

of the word Hysteria

[Music]

a collective mental turmoil and soul

searching followed and that's the way

he's writing about it's very very

dramatic it sounds like everyone was

freaking out and they even have a term

for this they call it the Sputnik crisis

and Wikipedia has an entry on it which

defines it as quote a period of public

fear and anxiety in Western Nations

about the perceived technological gap

between the United States and Soviet

Union caused by the Soviets launch of

Sputnik

[Music]

1 and they also mention on there that

there was a crisis reaction in the

newspapers with Outlets like the New

York Times mentioning Sputnik in

279 different articles between October 6

1957 and October 31st

1957 in fact on October 6 the New York

Times quoted an unnamed Naval scientist

who claimed the very fact that the

satellite is whizzing around the Earth

would indicate that the Russians are

ahead in rocketry it means that the

Russians must have the intercontinental

ballistic missile and on the following

day the New York Times suggested that

the Soviet Union would soon have enough

missiles to place every major United

States city and base under threat of

annihilation so that's the tack they

were taking with this and the story that

gets told now is about how Americans

were suddenly fac based with the fact

that America wasn't the Supreme

scientific Nation on Earth and people

were just so disheartened by that what

about the vital question that everybody

is thinking about why and how did the

Russians beat us to the draw and also

extremely fearful that Soviets sending

up Sputnik would be a means to

eventually allowing them to Nuke America

from space and that people were

generally just beside themselves with

anxiety over this but but what I found

was not at all like how that's portrayed

I found articles about how the Pentagon

was worried sick and Congress was

fighting over it because there was an

election coming up I found Speaker of

the House John McCormick quoted as

saying the United States faces National

Extinction if they don't respond quickly

it cannot be here's a quote from him it

cannot be overemphasize that the

survival of the Free World indeed all of

the world is caught up in the stakes I

tell you gentlemen science has

agreed that unless something is done and

done quickly man as the dominant species

of life on Earth would be extinct within

a

year which is interesting because buried

in the middle of the Edmonton Journal I

also found an article about US senator

Homer

capart who apparently went over there

and evaluated their scientific and

Industrial progress and said he wasn't

very impressed because what he describes

as going on as a lot of propaganda that

sounds vaguely North Korea esque he was

there for 2 and a half weeks and he said

leading stores for example which are all

owned by the government conducting these

lavish fashion shows where they have

visitors from Asia in the Middle East

and they have models string around in

these gowns to orchestra music but at

the end of the show if you go ask about

these dresses the store tells you they

don't have any of these things on hand

all they have are patterns which you

could use to make it yourself if you can

find material anywhere with which to do

that he says there's also an industrial

exhibit spread over several acres of

land which has the very latest design

machine tools and farm equipment and

stuff like that in these well

architectured ornate buildings but he

didn't see any of that equipment in the

hands of the people anywhere so it all

to him appeared to be much like a show

or patimkin Village and he says I'm not

trying to minimize their scientific

achievement or

anything but it's just there's something

here that's not adding up is basically

what you get out of this article a lot

of what I found comes off as propaganda

about fear that people should be having

more than reporting on actual public

concern or anxieties itself like this

article that was created at the request

of the United press and then syndicated

for like a month and newspapers all over

the country written by the very Reverend

James Pike about how more fear would be

good for the US and how he's afraid

Americans aren't afraid enough about

Sputnik which can be seen in his view as

God's judgment on Americans for

resisting which should be seen as God's

judgment on Americans for resisting

taxation for scientific

advancement problem reaction solution I

also found an article where you have

psych olist saying that Americans are

nervous and they should blame Sputnik

but as soon as the government launches

one of our own satellites that anxiety

will disappear which which again just

sounds like more defense propaganda oh

and I did find one radio station that

actually went directly from reporting on

Sputnik to just playing Orson wells's

War of the Worlds from 1938 without any

introduction yes I guess that's the

thing directly in front of me half

buried in a vast pit must have struck

with terrific Force the ground is

covered with sprinters of a tree it must

have struck on its way down but I can

see the object itself doesn't look very

much like a meteor at least not the

meteors I've seen it looks more like a

huge cylinder prompting like 60 phone

calls from listeners concerned that

Sputnik despite being about the size of

a beach ball was somehow able to land

hostile Russians in North

America far outweighing articles on

fears and anxiety I found articles about

people eating Sputnik burgers and

Sputnik Sundays and getting Sputnik

haird which are pretty awful

really uh especially this one and this

one and having Sputnik cocktails lots of

bars coming up with a Sputnik cocktail

there are stories about kids naming

their class goldfish

Sputnik there was an article about how

people were a lot more upset about the

economy than they were concerned about

Sputnik there's even several articles

about how the AP sent its reporters to

two different average cities one in the

north and one in the South to kind of

sample public opinion and they found

that average Americans appear

unconcerned with wisconsinites refusing

to admit that the US was lagging behind

Russia and their response to Bringing

Sputnik up was to make jokes about it as

the people quote show little sign of

deep concern and then you had people

from gat ber Tennessee noting that

America's satellites will be twice as

big when they get theirs out with the AP

reporter concluding when the average man

in the South speaks about the Russian

satellites at all today and you don't

hear much talk of them he is more likely

to joke than to express anxiety or

outright fear how do you feel about it

well I just think they beat us to the

punch we've been talking about it

working on it but nothing's happened I

mean one article I found in the

spokesman review even straight up calls

for psychological Warfare experts to

come up with a new name to stir the

pride of Americans out of concern that

the word Sputnik had so penetrated the

American Consciousness that the nation

might start referring to American

satellites as Sputnik 2 which would be

very bad so we needed a new word and

psychological warfare experts need to

figure out what will make us feel more

prideful so we don't call our satellite

Sputnik cuz everyone liked that word I

mean how does this match up with with a

collective mental turmoil with soul

searching we may be witnesses to a

Biblical prophecy come true and there

shall be destruction and darkness come

up in creation and the Beast shall reign

over the Earth the only appropriate

characterization that begins to capture

the mood of 5 October involves use of

the word hysteria

like you think it'll mean we'll get to

the moon soon I hope so I'd like go up

there where's the evidence of any of

this

hysteria interestingly I did find a top

level scientific report by the American

rocket Society whose president just so

happened to be a commander in the US

Navy at the time was already proposing a

federal space flight program to the Moon

within 20 years which is a report that

just so happened to come out 2 days

before Sputnik was launched but here's

the real kicker what if I told you the

American Scientific community and thus

the defense Community cuz that was all

kind of one thing in the Cold War knew

about Sputnik for at least 2 years

before it was actually

launched cuz yeah they did so here's

this memo and it's a proposed news

release from the National Academy of

Sciences dated June

1957 which it says not for release

except by specific authority of the

National Academy of Sciences so I'm

guessing they didn't actually release

this one because if you read this what

it tells you is they knew this was going

to happen since

1955 cuz it was all part of a plan that

everyone knew about so you have a

statement here from Dr De Bron who just

by the way was concurrently president of

the Rockefeller University at the same

time he was president of the National

Academy of Sciences and he's just

casually mentioning here they have now

learned of detailed Soviet plans for the

launching of an artificial Earth

satellite and not just for no reason or

because they decided to Suddenly It's

actually part of the scientific program

for the international geophysical year

which is what 1957 to 58 was July 1st

marked the beginning of one of the great

scientific Adventures of our time the

international geophysical year during

this period which will actually be 18

months long the scientists of the United

States will join their efforts with

those of the scientists of some 60 other

nations to make the most intensive study

ever undertaken of our planet and that

this was formally announced to them back

in

1956 says here an announcement to that

effect was made last September by Soviet

Representatives at a meeting of the

international committee that guides the

overall planning for the igy and then it

says earlier references to such a

program were made in general terms by

Soviet scientists in the summer of 1955

shortly after the formal announcement of

the United States scientific Earth

satellite program was made July 29th

1955 to the international igy committee

we welcome the release of further

details on the Soviet plans at this time

both the United States and the Soviet

announcements followed the

recommendation of the international igy

committee that each participating Nation

consider whether it could undertake such

a program the committee based its

recommendation on its conclusion that

measurements of great significance to

science and great potential benefit to

humanity could be obtained with

satellites the Secretary of Defense

announced this morning that the Army is

to participate in the international

geophysical year satellite program so

they were told to do it the Soviets were

told to do it by the committee for the

igy and it was well known and then their

detailed plans to do so were given up to

the National Academy of Sciences who all

knew about this and they proposed a news

release about it in June of

1957 months before it was actually

launched the most important result of

the international geophysical year is a

demonstration of the ability of peoples

of all Nations to work together

harmoniously for the common good and you

know what's missing from this memo shock

confusion anxiety fear hysteria there's

none of that it's it's mentioned by Dr

Bron really rather matter of fact and

just kind of blah it's just known for

years in advance it's going to be cool

for science everyone's going to be

sharing data and information with each

other not a big deal because Soviets and

United States were part of the

international geophysical Year and that

was something the committee of that

institution planned for them to

undertake and ask them if they would do

it the jet proportion laboratory has

been assigned the responsibility by the

US National Committee of the Ry and by

the Army to complete the design and

construction of these experiments in a

suitable form for the Army rocket the

week that Sputnik was launched actually

coincided with a Six-Day conference for

the international geophysical year at

the National Academy of Sciences in

Washington that was specifically on

rocket and satellite research for the

igy that included scientists from the

United States the Soviet Union and five

other nations on their plans to share

data and findings from their research on

this topic following the announcement by

the Secretary of Defense numerous

planning conferences were held in

Washington DC Huntsville Alabama and

Pasadena California so this was all

super known very much known not even

remotely a little bit of a

[Music]

surprise so there you go okay cuz the

story that's gone down claims the whole

reason that NASA suddenly had to exist

and DARPA sudden had to exist and a very

unpopular National Defense Education

Program was suddenly pushed through is

because the American people were just so

hysterical and so afraid they

practically demanded it they were at

Capitol Hill just banging down the door

begging them to Institute these agencies

just demanding it I think we are all

doom and yet there's really just no

evidence there's no evidence this was a

scary surprise or even much of a

surprise at all apparently to a lot of

people it would appear so why is that

the story that's gone down because

people actually seemed pretty excited

about Sputnik in a lot of ways I mean

they were fixing their hair in Sputnik

hair does wow is that what you do when

you're terrified it

just the sputnic crisis appears created

it appears made up it appears completely

fake but you have NASA historian lonus

over here claiming quote the launch of

Sputnik one had a Pearl Harbor effect on

American public opinion it was a shock

introducing the average citizen to the

space age in a crisis

[Music]

setting that smells like

[ __ ] why did they have to introduce

the average citizen to the space age in

a crisis setting and that's that's the

whole relationship now that is the

history of people to space I just can't

seem to locate any evidence to support

that people were actually hysterical and

apparently neither can Kim McQuade who

published an article called Sputnik

reconsidered image and reality in the

early space age in the winter 2007

edition of Canadian review of American

studies who found quote chroniclers

regularly affirm that Russia's Sputnik

produced popular crisis more nuanced

explanations argue that a preliminary

media Riot made cosmic space races an

essential counterpart of Earthly missile

races in the public mind widespread

public interest and political support

for the US civilian Space Program during

its formative years is presumed as is

the concept that space Explorations were

a key Global determinant of US Cold War

Prestige such ideas are overdrawn

contemporary analysts often studi to

confirm what they already knew

unattractive official findings were

censored or ignored surveying all

formerly secret and other opinion data

about civilian space exploration from

Sputnik 1 to the end of the Mercury

program shows how space exploration

Advocates helped create Elite Panic

regarding the sputnik's Via selective

reporting while wider publ generally

stayed indifferent to lunar imp

planetary missions Elite Panic not mass

panic impelled the priorities and

programs of the early space age because

nothing says Panic like Elite panic I

even found a historian who wrote a

chapter on this where' it go talking

about how JFK wasn't particularly

interested in space and privately

admitted the whole ESS Aid was a waste

of money but he nevertheless knew the

rewards to be reaped from a frightened

electorate but it doesn't even seem like

they were that frightened so there's

Elite Panic which just sounds like

manufactured Panic which they couldn't

even really manufacture is the thing why

did I show you this I was looking for

something else tangentially related but

not not this and then I just stumbled

into this like oh it's another elevator

in The Truman Show

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what's nothing why cuz it bothers the

[ __ ] out of me guys why is it that

everything in our society is done in

this crisis mode you never want a

serious crisis to go to waste and what I

mean by that it's an opportunity to do

things that you think you could not do

before where they have to make it seem

like there's a crisis happening why is

every piece of progress Humanity gets to

have have to start in this way it's not

even a real crisis it is a manufactured

phony crisis but there's always some

bloody battle or some horrible event you

know if it's not Pearl Harbor then it's

Sputnik if it's not Sputnik then it's GF

of tonin getting us into the Vietnam War

which was a false flag or the Challenger

explosion or Y2K or 911 or whatever

there's always something right cuz we

can't just be excited about the future

we have to be terrified of it every

single time with some fake manufactured

crisis and this means they started the

entire Space Age basically on a lie

that's what it means it is now a matter

of history that at 5 seconds past 1055

p.m. on January 31st

1958 satellite explorer was placed in

orbit this achievement is another step

forward in man's drive to better

understand the world and universe in

which he lives we are no longer

Earthbound soon we will begin to explore

the solar system far beyond the

boundaries of our Tiny World in the

years to come man will continue to use

rocket Vehicles like Jupiter C to expand

the froners of

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knowledge even small children understand

the concept that if you start an

Endeavor on a lie it's not going to go

well once you start on a lie there's

really nowhere else to go but more lies

cuz you have to tell more lies to cover

up the lie you already told you have to

keep telling lies unless you tell the

truth which they didn't do they're still

not doing to this day they're still not

doing it it's kind of amazing to this

day you still have the New York Times

being like it was the 911 of their time

no it wasn't it wasn't actually the 911

of anyone's time there's no evidence to

show that it was I think they wanted it

to be the 911 of everyone's time

although that's the question why why did

they want that to be was it really just

to create an illusion of a technological

gap which at least the NASA historian

admits was an illusion that they created

the event created an illusion of a

technological Gap to provide the impetus

for increased spending for Aerospace

Endeavors and they couldn't get people

excited about it in any other way it had

to be done in this way really and then

you've got people who just repeat that

information is if this is the true story

and it's not and why is that okay for

them why why is it okay for some people

to just repeat talking points about what

supposedly happened and they're not

interested to actually go look at what

actually did happen which is a lot of

times not the same I don't understand it

you know I think it's so bizarre that as

an American I can throw a rock in almost

any direction I don't even have to throw

it that far actually the rock could just

kind of fall out of my pocket and and

I'm finding some stuff like this why is

that cuz that's messed up okay it's that

feels so weird I thought this was a

basic known piece of information and

it's not it's not and the sad part is is

I could do this all day especially

during the Cold War period but you could

do it with lots of other periods too in

fact the entire 20th century is Rife

with this stuff if you just go look but

it's just really sad that we have to

live that way and that we've not stopped

living that way and in order to

understand where you are you have to you

have to look at where we've actually

been cuz this is a formula this

manufactured crisis is a Formula that is

used and I guess they just think

everyone is not not intelligent enough

to handle the truth so we're going to

infantilize everyone and keep them in a

childlike state by constantly lying

about everything but you that's not

really good for human consciousness it's

not really it doesn't bode well for any

of the promises of the future and by the

way the same formula is being used we're

living in it right now everything that's

about to happen same formula I mean look

at what just got done happening for the

last four years it's the same formula

and you could say well they do it cuz it

works well it didn't really work though

because people didn't believe it people

didn't believe it at the time they

didn't believe it

it's only since then with lots of

distance they've been able to kind of

continue to reaffirm that that's what

happened and now that's what people

think happened cuz that's what they've

heard but it's not actually what

occurred I don't know isn't anyone else

sick and tired of this being the way

everything is why does it have to be

this way all those images of the future

and how cool it could be you can't do

that if you base everything on just lies

and fake crises and [ __ ] it's not

ever going to happen it never will it

will never happen so that's really sad

that's sad for everyone so why did I

show you this I don't know I'm surprised

that it just it's just one more thing

it's just one more lie guess just throw

it on the pile of Lies yay we we live on

a freaking Throne of

Lies but I still look up at the night

sky all the time and wonder what we

aren't being told about space

we may be witnessing the beginning of an

era that will mean the complete

annihilation of man oh and by the way

here's an article that came out October

25th 1957 so couple weeks after the

launch of Sputnik mystery surrounds

mothballed satellites one of the

unpublished facts about the American

Sputnik snafu is that the Army has six

satellites in a warehouse in Huntsville

Alabama all ready to launch and could

have been launched before the Sputnik

thus keeping the USA ahead of the USSR

in science and preventing one of the

greatest psychological defeats the US

ever suffered but for some strange and

mysterious reason difficult to Fathom

the Army was under orders not to launch

these satellites