The Great Space Race Ensues

In the ’60s, countries were in a race to reach space. It became everything at the time, even to kids, evidenced by this humongous spaceship toy. There were also TV shows about it, including the legendary The Jetsons and My Favorite Martian.

That decade saw successful space missions. In 1961, astronaut Yuri Gagarin reached space, becoming the first to do so. Alan Shepard also achieved the same feat in the next month. By 1969, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins became the first humans to land on the moon through the Apollo 11 spaceflight.