Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Space Race began as a direct extension of the Cold War's nuclear arms race following World War II. Both the United States and the Soviet Union acquired German rocket assets to build their own intercontinental ballistic missiles starting in 1945.
Sputnik 1 lifted off from Tyura-Tam launch site number one at exactly 10:28:34 pm Moscow time on Friday, the 4th of October 1957. The small beeping ball weighed less than 200 pounds and measured under two feet in diameter.
Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space aboard Vostok 1 on the 12th of April 1961. He completed a single 108-minute orbit around Earth before returning safely.
John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth on the 20th of February 1962 completing three orbits in Friendship 7. His mission splashed down safely after a tense reentry caused by what appeared to be a loose heat shield.
Apollo 11 achieved Kennedy's goal in July 1969 sending astronauts to the lunar surface. The US landed five more crews on the Moon while continuing robotic exploration of other bodies.