What country first launched a ballistic missile?

Most believe that the first 'Rockets' were launched by China. This was many years ago and much like fireworks of today.

The Soviet Union launched the first man-made satellite, Sputnik 1, on 4 October 1957.

We don't know exactly how many failed attempts there were before the first success, but the first artificial earth satellite that was successfully placed in orbit and stayed there for a while was...

The Soviet Union launched the first satellite called Sputnik on October 4, 1957.

The Soviet Union launched Sputnik ["Traveler"] in 1957 Oct.7th?