With an estimated 298,192 residents in 2016,[7] it is Alaska's most populous city and contains more than 40 percent of the state's total population; among the 50 states, only New York has a higher percentage of residents who live in its most populous city.
NOVEMBER 3, 1957: The Soviet Union sent the first living creature into space on this day in 1957 after a dog was rocketed into orbit. Laikaâs arrival on board Sputnik II delighted science fans - but angered animal lovers and humiliated the Americans, who at that time were yet to send up even a satellite.
Elizabeth Dohrer, SPACE.com Contributor | September 25, 2012 06:55pm ET. The Soviet Union stunned the world on Nov. 3, 1957, with the launch of Sputnik 2. On board the small satellite was a little dog, Laika, the first animal to orbit Earth. However, Laika was not the first animal in space. The United States and the U.S.S.R. had been putting animals atop rockets since 1947. Laika, a mixed-breed dog, was the first living being in orbit.