ABOUT THE SPEAKER
David Hoffman - Filmmaker
In David Hoffman's long film career, he's made documentaries on everything from Amelia Earhardt to B.B. King, from double-dutch jump-roping to F-15 fighter pilots. Lately he's been fascinated with the early space program and our mania for all things Sputnik.

Why you should listen

Documentary filmmaker David Hoffman has been capturing reality for almost 4 decades, following his wide-ranging interests and turning them into films for PBS, The Discovery Channel, A&E, National Geographic. Highlights from his career include the groundbreaking experimental doc King, Murray, which blurred boundaries between truth and fiction as it tracks its subject through a debauched weekend in Las Vegas; A Day With Filmmaker Timmy Page, about a 12-year-old auteur; and his series of films on American indigenous music.

Lately, he has become fascinated with the Atomic-era Space Race, turning out a feature-length documentary about the Sputnik era. Sputnik Mania was scored by Thomas Dolby and has played at festivals and theaters around the country.

Hoffman suffered a devastating setback in early 2008 when, nine days before TED2008, his home, containing a vast archive from his long and fascinating career, burnt to the ground. His next project: to reframe his life and rebuild.

More profile about the speaker
David Hoffman | Speaker | TED.com
TED2007

David Hoffman: Sputnik mania

David Hoffman: Mia Sputnik-manio

Filmed:
378,053 views

Filmofaristo David Hoffman konigas partojn de sia dokumentfilmo Sputnik-Manio, kiu montras kiel la sovetunia lanĉo de Sputnik en 1957 enkondukis kaj la spaco-kunkuradon kaj al la armilo-kunkuradon -- kaj antaŭenigis sciencan kaj matematikan edukadon tra la mondo.
- Filmmaker
In David Hoffman's long film career, he's made documentaries on everything from Amelia Earhardt to B.B. King, from double-dutch jump-roping to F-15 fighter pilots. Lately he's been fascinated with the early space program and our mania for all things Sputnik. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:21
Fifty years ago in the old Soviet Union,
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Antaŭ kvindek jaroj en la eksa Sovetunio,
00:24
a team of engineers was secretly moving a large object
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teamo de inĝenieroj sekrete movis grandan objekton
00:27
through a desolate countryside.
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tra dezerta kamparo.
00:30
With it, they were hoping to capture the minds of people everywhere
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Per ĝi, ili esperis estigi admiron je homoj ĉie
00:33
by being the first to conquer outer space.
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kaj iĝi la unuaj konkerantoj de la fora spaco.
00:36
The rocket was huge.
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La raketo estis grandega.
00:38
And packed in its nose was a silver ball
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Kaj pakita en ĝia nazo estis arĝenta pilko
00:40
with two radios inside.
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kun du radioaparatoj interne.
00:44
On October 4, 1957, they launched their rocket.
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La 4-an de Oktobro 1957, ili lanĉis sian raketon.
00:47
One of the Russian scientists wrote at the time:
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Unu el la rusaj sciencistoj tiam skribis:
00:50
"We are about to create a new planet
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"Ni estas kreontaj novan planedon,
00:52
that we will call Sputnik.
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kiun ni nomos Sputnik.
00:55
In the olden days, explorers
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En pasintaj tempoj, esploristoj
00:57
like Vasco da Gama and Columbus
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kiel Vasco da Gama kaj Kolumbo
01:00
had the good fortune to open up the terrestrial globe.
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havis la bonan fortunon malkovri la terglobon.
01:04
Now we have the good fortune to open up space.
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Nun ni havas la bonan fortunon malkovri la spacon.
01:07
And it is for those in the future to envy us our joy."
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Kaj la estontuloj envios nian ĝojon."
01:12
You're watching snippets from "Sputnik," my fifth documentary feature,
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Vi spektas erojn de "Sputnik", mia kvina dokumentfilmo,
01:16
which is just about completed.
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kiun mi ĵus kompletigis.
01:19
It tells the story of Sputnik,
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Ĝi rakontas la historion de Sputnik,
01:21
and the story of what happened to America as a result.
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kaj la historion de tio, kion ĝi okazigis en Usono.
01:24
For days after the launch,
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Dum tagoj post la lanĉo,
01:26
Sputnik was a wonderful curiosity.
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Sputnik estis mirinda kuriozaĵo.
01:29
A man-made moon visible by ordinary citizens,
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Homfarita luno videbla de ordinaraj civitanoj,
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it inspired awe and pride
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ĝi inspiris admiregon kaj fieron,
01:36
that humans had finally launched an object into space.
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ĉar homoj fine lanĉis objekton en la spacon.
01:41
But just three days later, on a day they called Red Monday,
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Sed nur tri tagojn poste, la tiel nomatan Ruĝan Lundon,
01:44
the media and the politicians told us,
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amaskomunikiloj kaj politikistoj rakontis
01:47
and we believed, that Sputnik was proof
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- kaj ni kredis ili - ke Sputnik estas pruvo,
01:49
that our enemy had beaten us
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ke nia malamiko estis venkintaj nin
01:51
in science and technology,
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science kaj teknologie,
01:54
and that they could now attack us with hydrogen bombs,
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kaj ke ili povus nun ataki nin per hidrogenaj bomboj,
01:57
using their Sputnik rocket as an IBM missile.
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uzante sian Sputnik-raketon kiel transkontinentan balistikan misilon.
02:01
All hell broke loose.
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Ŝtormego eksplodis.
02:03
Sputnik quickly became one of the three great shocks to hit America --
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Sputnik rapide fariĝis unu el la tri grandaj ŝokoj, kiuj batis Usonon
02:07
historians say the equal of Pearl Harbor or 9/11.
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egalnivele kun Pearl Harbor aŭ la 11-a de Septembro, laŭ historiistoj.
02:11
It provoked the missile gap.
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Ĝi konsciigis pri misila malegaleco.
02:14
It exploded an arms race.
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Ĝi eksplodigis armilan kunkuradon.
02:17
It began the space race.
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Ĝi ekigis la spacan kunkuradon.
02:20
Within a year, Congress funded huge weapons increases,
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Post unu jaro, la Kongreso sponsoris grandegan pliigon de armiloj,
02:23
and we went from 1,200 nuclear weapons
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kaj ni iris de 1200 nukleaj armiloj
02:26
to 20,000.
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al 20 mil.
02:28
And the reactions to Sputnik went far beyond weapons increases.
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Sed la reagoj al Sputnik iris multe pli preter la multigo de armiloj.
02:31
For example, some here will remember
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Ekzemple, iuj tie ĉi rememoros
02:34
this day, June 1958,
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tiun tagon, Junie de 1958,
02:36
the National Civil Defense Drill,
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la Nacia Civila Defendo-Ekzerco,
02:38
where tens of millions of people in 78 cities went underground.
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en kiu dekoj da milionoj da homoj en 78 urboj iris subgrunden.
02:42
Or the Gallup Poll that showed that seven in 10 Americans
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Aŭ la opinisondon Gallup, kiu montris, ke sep el 10 usonanoj
02:45
believed that a nuclear war would happen,
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kredis, ke nuklea milito estas okazonta,
02:48
and that at least 50 percent of our population
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kaj almenaŭ 50 procentoj el nia loĝantaro
02:50
was going to be killed.
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estas mortontaj.
02:52
But Sputnik provoked wonderful changes as well.
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Sed Sputnik provokis ankaŭ mirindajn ŝanĝojn.
02:56
For example, some in this room went to school on scholarship
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Ekzemple, kelkaj el vi iris al la lernejo per stipendio
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because of Sputnik.
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danke al Sputnik.
03:00
Support for engineering, math and science --
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Subteno por inĝenierarto, matematiko kaj scienco --
03:03
education in general -- boomed.
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kleriĝo ĝenerale - kreskegis.
03:06
And Vint Cerf points out that Sputnik
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Kaj Vint Cerf montras, ke Sputnik
03:08
led directly to ARPA, and the Internet,
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kondukis rekte al ARPA kaj Internet,
03:10
and, of course, NASA.
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kaj kompreneble, NASA.
03:13
My feature documentary shows how a free society
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Mia dokumentfilmo montras, kiel libera socio
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can be stampeded by those who know how to use media.
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povas esti panikigita de tiuj, kiuj scias kiel uzi amaskomunikilojn.
03:19
But it also shows how we can turn
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Sed ĝi montras ankaŭ, kiel ni povis turni tion,
03:21
what appears at first to be a bad situation,
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kio unue ŝajnis esti malbona situacio,
03:24
into something that was overall very good for America.
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en io, kio estis ĝenerale avantaĝa por Usono.
03:28
"Sputnik" will soon be released.
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"Sputnik" baldaŭ publikiĝos.
03:31
In closing, I would like to take a moment to thank
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Konklude, mi ŝatus preni momenton por danki
03:33
one of my investors:
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unu el miaj investantoj:
03:35
longtime TEDster, Jay Walker.
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delongtempa TED-ano Jay Walker.
03:37
And I'd like to thank you all.
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Kaj mi ŝatus danki vin ĉiujn.
03:39
(Applause).
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(Aplaŭdo).
03:43
Thank you, Chris.
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Dankon, Chris.
Translated by Stéphane Brault
Reviewed by Karine Breault

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
David Hoffman - Filmmaker
In David Hoffman's long film career, he's made documentaries on everything from Amelia Earhardt to B.B. King, from double-dutch jump-roping to F-15 fighter pilots. Lately he's been fascinated with the early space program and our mania for all things Sputnik.

Why you should listen

Documentary filmmaker David Hoffman has been capturing reality for almost 4 decades, following his wide-ranging interests and turning them into films for PBS, The Discovery Channel, A&E, National Geographic. Highlights from his career include the groundbreaking experimental doc King, Murray, which blurred boundaries between truth and fiction as it tracks its subject through a debauched weekend in Las Vegas; A Day With Filmmaker Timmy Page, about a 12-year-old auteur; and his series of films on American indigenous music.

Lately, he has become fascinated with the Atomic-era Space Race, turning out a feature-length documentary about the Sputnik era. Sputnik Mania was scored by Thomas Dolby and has played at festivals and theaters around the country.

Hoffman suffered a devastating setback in early 2008 when, nine days before TED2008, his home, containing a vast archive from his long and fascinating career, burnt to the ground. His next project: to reframe his life and rebuild.

More profile about the speaker
David Hoffman | Speaker | TED.com