Final answer:
The first living creature sent into space was a dog named Laika, launched by the Soviet Union aboard Sputnik 2 in 1957, marking a critical point in the space race and paving the way for human space travel.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first living creature sent into space was a dog named Laika. The Soviet Union launched Laika into orbit aboard the spacecraft Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957. This event was a significant moment in the history of space exploration and marked the beginning of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. While Laika did not survive the mission, her journey paved the way for human spaceflight, which resulted in Yuri Gagarin becoming the first human to orbit the Earth on April 12, 1961, and eventually led to the U.S. Apollo missions that landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969.