This is a blog for use in both of my HIS 241 and HIS 242 Russian history survey courses at Northern Virginia Community College.

Blue separator bar

25 September 2007


Well, we've got a campus event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik, the Soviet satellite that started the space race between Russia and the United States on 4 October 1957. The main guest on our program is Nikita Khrushchev's youngest son, Sergei, who will talk about Sputnik, the Soviet Space program and the space race as part of the Cold War. Before he emigrated to the United States, Sergei worked as an engineer on various missile projects in Russia.

24 September 2007

Parades in the Soviet Union


I am not sure exactly which holiday is being celebrated in this image of a parade in the Soviet Union, but I suspect that it might be May Day. There used to be a lot of parades on the yearly schedule for the Soviets, but I don't think that there are as many in Russia today.