Sputnik 1 as heard on shortwave via WTCN-AM (Minneapolis, MN): October 5, 1957

Radio-Dial-1024x679.jpg

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Tom Gavaras, who shares the following recording and notes:

WTCN-AM (Minneapolis, MN) "Twin Cities at Night" interviews by Bill Diehl on Sputnik 1 with calls from listeners including one listener playing audio from Sputnik 1 as heard on his shortwave on 20005 kHz. Sputnik 1 audio can be heard about 4:20 into the recording. FYI ... Bill Diehl was very well known for being a columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper, a rock-and-roll disc jockey on WDGY-AM in the 1960s, and a popular announcer on WCCO-AM afterwards. Bill passed away in 2017. WTCN-AM is known today as WWTC-AM. Sputnik 1 was the first artificial Earth satellite. The Soviet Union launched it into an elliptical low Earth orbit on 4 October 1957, orbiting for three weeks before its batteries died, then silently for two more months before falling back into the atmosphere.