United States Launches Vanguard Satellite Program.

In 1952 the International Council of Scientific Unions proposed that the eighteen-month period from July, 1957, through December, 1958, be designated the International Geophysical Year (IGY), during which the nations of the world would conduct research spanning the range of earth sciences. Recognizing that developments in instrument miniaturization and rocket technology made it possible to observe Earth from space, the United States and the Soviet Union announced plans to orbit artificial satellites carrying research instruments during the IGY.