Fifty years ago in the old Soviet Union, a team of engineers was secretly moving a large object through a desolate countryside. With it, they were hoping to capture the minds of people everywhere by being the first to conquer outer space. The rocket was huge. And packed in its nose was a silver ball with two radios inside.
在50年以前, 前蘇聯 有一組工程師秘密地搬運一個龐大的物體, 通過荒野。 他們要用這個龐大的物體來吸引世人的注意, 讓世人知道蘇聯是征服外太空的第一人。 這火箭體積龐大, 在火箭的頂端載有一個銀色球體, 球體內有兩組無線電機組。
On October 4, 1957, they launched their rocket. One of the Russian scientists wrote at the time: "We are about to create a new planet that we will call Sputnik. In the olden days, explorers like Vasco da Gama and Columbus had the good fortune to open up the terrestrial globe. Now we have the good fortune to open up space. And it is for those in the future to envy us our joy."
蘇聯在1957年10月4日發射了這火箭, 其中一位俄羅斯科學家寫下當時心裡的感覺: 「我們即將創造一個新的行星, 我們將其命名為“Sputnik”(蘇聯人造衛星史潑尼克一號) 在過去,探險者 如瓦斯科.達伽馬和哥倫布 都曾經幸運地開拓了地球的陸地疆界, 現在我們何其有幸地有機會開拓太空, 謹將這個成果獻給未來將欽羨我們的人們。」
You're watching snippets from "Sputnik," my fifth documentary feature, which is just about completed. It tells the story of Sputnik, and the story of what happened to America as a result. For days after the launch, Sputnik was a wonderful curiosity. A man-made moon visible by ordinary citizens, it inspired awe and pride that humans had finally launched an object into space.
你們現在看到的是由我第五部紀錄片"人造衛星史潑尼克一號"所剪輯的片段, 這部紀錄片即將完成。 這部片描述的是人造衛星史潑尼克一號的故事, 以及這事情發生之後對美國產生的影響。 在該火箭發射後的前幾天, 史潑尼克一號引起世人對其美好一面的好奇心, 一個人造的、大家都看得見的月亮, 激發了人們敬畏及崇敬之心, 人類終於可以發射一個物體進入太空了。
But just three days later, on a day they called Red Monday, the media and the politicians told us, and we believed, that Sputnik was proof that our enemy had beaten us in science and technology, and that they could now attack us with hydrogen bombs, using their Sputnik rocket as an IBM missile.
但是三天過後, 在一個世人稱為紅色星期一的日子裡, 媒體及政客們告訴我們, 而且我們也相信,史潑尼克一號證明, 我們的敵人 已經在科學及科技領域裡打敗我們了。 所以蘇聯人現在有能力用氫彈來攻擊我們, 只要蘇聯把史潑尼克一號火箭當作洲際彈導飛彈來用就行了。
All hell broke loose. Sputnik quickly became one of the three great shocks to hit America -- historians say the equal of Pearl Harbor or 9/11. It provoked the missile gap. It exploded an arms race. It began the space race. Within a year, Congress funded huge weapons increases, and we went from 1,200 nuclear weapons to 20,000. And the reactions to Sputnik went far beyond weapons increases.
不好的批評接踵而來, 史潑尼克一號很快就成為震驚美國人的三大事件之一, 歷史學家說這件事對美國人的影響,和珍珠港事件及911恐怖攻擊一樣。 這事件激起防衛上有飛彈缺口的爭議, 並引發了武器競賽 及太空競賽。 在一年內,國會增加預算資助大型武器計劃, 所以美國的核子武器由原先的一千二百件, 一下就增加到二萬件。 史潑尼克一號所引起的反應遠超過武器增加而已,
For example, some here will remember this day, June 1958, the National Civil Defense Drill, where tens of millions of people in 78 cities went underground. Or the Gallup Poll that showed that seven in 10 Americans believed that a nuclear war would happen, and that at least 50 percent of our population was going to be killed.
例如,在座的各位有一些人還會記得, 在1958年六月的某一天, 國家民防訓練就要求 78個城市中數千萬人躲到地下室; 另外蓋洛普民調顯示,十分之七的美國人 相信核戰終將發生, 而最少有一半的美國人 將在這核戰中喪生。
But Sputnik provoked wonderful changes as well. For example, some in this room went to school on scholarship because of Sputnik. Support for engineering, math and science -- education in general -- boomed. And Vint Cerf points out that Sputnik led directly to ARPA, and the Internet, and, of course, NASA.
但是史潑尼克一號也引發一些美好的改變, 例如,在座有一些人在求學過程中獲得獎學金, 就是因為史潑尼克一號的緣故。 支持工程、數學及科學 的教育計劃如雨後春筍的暴增。 Vint Cerf(Google副總裁)就指出史潑尼克一號事件 直接導致ARAP(美國國防部高級研究計劃署) 及網際網路的產生, 當然NASA(美國太空總署)的設立也和這事件有關。
My feature documentary shows how a free society can be stampeded by those who know how to use media. But it also shows how we can turn what appears at first to be a bad situation, into something that was overall very good for America. "Sputnik" will soon be released.
我的紀錄影片顯示,熟知媒體運作的人, 即可操弄一個自由社會,讓大家失去理性。 但是它同時也顯示,我們可以將 一個一開始看起來不好的情況,轉變為 對美國整體而言非常好的結果。 史潑尼克一號這部紀錄片即將發行。
In closing, I would like to take a moment to thank one of my investors: longtime TEDster, Jay Walker. And I'd like to thank you all.
最後,我想用一點時間謝謝 我的投資者之一: Jay Walker,他也是資深的TED成員, 我也想謝謝各位聽眾。
(Applause).
(掌聲響起)
Thank you, Chris.
謝謝你,克利斯。