The Soviets were the first to space, first to send probes to Venus, first animals in space, first returning animals from space, first humans in space, and more. The moon landing was a huge milestone, sure, but the soviets took a number of firsts themselves.
Saying they beat the Americans in the space race several times over doesn’t mean the Statesians didn’t make it to the moon first, it means the Soviets beat them to many major milestones, yet this is brushed under the rug.
The Soviets were the first to space, first to send probes to Venus, first animals in space, first returning animals from space, first humans in space, and more. The moon landing was a huge milestone, sure, but the soviets took a number of firsts themselves.
I won’t deny that, but to say they won is false
It’s called the space race, not the moon race.
Saying they beat the Americans in the space race several times over doesn’t mean the Statesians didn’t make it to the moon first, it means the Soviets beat them to many major milestones, yet this is brushed under the rug.