Short answers, pulled from the story.
Isaac Newton published his cannonball thought experiment in 1687. This mathematical study laid the first theoretical foundation for artificial objects orbiting Earth.
Sergei Korolev served as chief designer for the Soviet Union's Sputnik program. The satellite helped identify high atmospheric layer density through orbital change measurements and provided data on radio-signal distribution within the ionosphere.
India shot down a live test satellite at 300 km altitude within three minutes on the 27th of March 2019. This event made India the fourth country capable of destroying live satellites.
SpaceX Starlink became the first large constellation exceeding 1000 active satellites on orbit in 2020. These satellites are designed to be 100% demisable and burn up completely during atmospheric reentry.
The White House announced on the 29th of July 1955 that the U.S. intended to launch satellites by spring 1958. This initiative became known as Project Vanguard.