I like bouncing into/around the Wikipedia, because I always learn new things, usually through serendipitious browsing.
Like today, Vanguard I was the second US satellite in space after the Sputnik war, it’s mission was a complete success relating information about the earth to make better maps and atmospheric understanding, and it’s still in orbit. That’s almost 50 years later - Sputnik and Explorer I didn’t last that long.
Of course, it might help that Vanguard I is no larger than a grapefruit at 6″ in diameter and under 3lbs.