October 3, 1990 West and East Germany end 45 years of post-war division, declaring the creation of a new unified country. Formal reunification takes place after a unification treaty is ratified by the Federal Republic’s Bundestag and the German Democratic Republic’s People’s Chamber.

October 4, 1957 The Space Age and “space race” begins as the Soviet Union launches Sputnik, the first man-made space satellite.

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