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The year 1958 in science and technology involved some significant events, listed below.

Astronomy and space exploration

• January 4 - Sputnik 1 falls to Earth from its orbit (launched on October 4, 1957)

• January 31 - The first successful American satellite, Explorer I, is launched into orbit.

• February 5 - A backup for Vanguard TV3 fails to reach orbit.

• March 5 - Explorer 2 fails to reach orbit.

• March 17 - Vanguard 1 becomes the first of its program to enter space - after 3 failed attempts.

• March 26 - Explorer 3 is launched into orbit.

• April 14 - Sputnik 2 re-enters Earth's atmosphere.

• July 29 - The United States Congress formally creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Geology

• During the International Geophysical Year, Earth's magnetosphere is discovered.

Awards

• Fields Prize in Mathematics: Klaus Roth and René Thom
• Nobel Prizes
  • Physics - Pavel Alekseyevich Cherenkov, Ilya Mikhailovich Frank, Igor Yevgenyevich Tamm
  • Chemistry - Frederick Sanger
  • Medicine - George Wells Beadle, Edward Lawrie Tatum, Joshua Lederberg

Births

Deaths

• August 14 - Frédéric Joliot (b. 1900), scientist.
• December 12 - Milutin Milankovic (b. 1879), geophysicist.
• December 15 - Wolfgang Ernst Pauli (b. 1900), physicist.
• April 16 - Rosalind Franklin (b.1920), crystallographer