Claim: John Curtis Gowan's interest in gifted children arose after the Russian launch of Sputnik, gaining them superiority in space, and he went on to write over 100 articles and 14 books on the subject.
Evidence: Dr. Gowan became interested in gifted children after the Russians gained superiority in space with the 1957 launch of Sputnik. He was the group's executive director and president from 1975 to 1979 and over the years wrote more than 100 articles and fourteen books on gifted children, teacher evaluation, child development, and creativity.