Sputniks

Cultural  

1. A series of Soviet satellites launched in 1957 and in following years. These were the first artificial satellites.

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The appearance of Sputnik stimulated a great deal of effort in the education of scientists and engineers in the United States. This period is now referred to as the post-Sputnik boom.

Example Sentences

In their song “Sputniks and Mutniks,” for example, Ray Anderson and the Homefolks sing in jest about satellites and Soviet space dogs “flying everywhere.”

From Slate

Mr. Mendiola bought pigs and hundreds of chickens for the Sputniks’ Christmas feast last month.

From New York Times

In the Sputniks, getting into a fistfight will be punished with five lashes, and if someone draws blood, that number jumps to 15 or 20.

From New York Times

The Met’s crystal chandeliers, which have come to be called “sputniks” for their space-age starburst design, are among the most popular features of the theater.

From New York Times

Steeped in a mythos of Sputniks, spooks and classroom shelter drills, this cult film is an animated feature about a 9-year-old boy who finds, saves and protects the humongous robot that drops from the sky — educating him with his comic books.

From New York Times