Thread by @cfishman

The computer beep is one of the most common sounds in our lives.

But where did it come from?

The beep came from space.

In fact, we know the moment most people first heard the computer beep:

It was the sound of the 1st spacecraft, Sputnik.

#Apollo51
fastcompany.com/90361076/the-b…

2/ After Sputnik was launched Oct 5, 1957, its distinctive beeping was broadcast on radio & TV across the US & around the world.

Said an NBC news anchor, introducing the sound:

'Listen now for the sound which forever more separates the old from the new.'

Turned out to be true.

3/ This is #8 in the series from last summer celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing—the incredible work it took to get Americans to the Moon in the 1960s.

These stories have great resonance for this summer as well — ordinary people making the impossible possible.

4/ The computer beep marks our lives every day — maybe every hour. It marked not just the start of the space age, but the digital age as well.

See the TIME magazine story below on Sputnik, headlined: 'The Beepers Message.'

fastcompany.com/90361076/the-b…

5/ And yes, the story includes a link to a recording of Sputnik's beep.

In Oct 1957, it echoed around the world.

#Apollo51

fastcompany.com/90361076/the-b…