1957 being the starting date is probably due to the used catalogs but remember that rockets have been launched decades before that.

Depending on your definition, at least the start of Goddard's rocket in 1926 or the A-4 that reached space in 1942 come to mind.

This reminds me of 1945-1998[1]. The map and timeline are similar, but it follows nuclear explosions instead of rocket launches. Considering the two main parties involved in both, it would be interesting to see the data together.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjAqR1zICA0

This is great.

One thought: any chance of showing launches as arrows -- ideally approximating the actual launch azimuth -- rather than circles? Would help dispel the myth that rockets go primarily upwards!

First thought I had after getting into the early sixties was, "Wow, no wonder we made it to the moon first". Talk about practice makes perfect...

Whoa, I never suspected there were so many launches happening. Especially in the last few years it looks like there was a launch every other day... I always thought there were launches every other month...

Nice! As the launch rate ramps up, however, it gets quite laggy. I'd strongly suggest switching from svg to canvas for this.

Oh! Orbital launches. For some reason I was expecting to see Robert Goddard's launches. Nice though.