I resemble that statement
I must be that third person who remembers watching Sputnik fly over our house. We were not told that what we were seeing was just the upper stage that put it in orbit. Nor would we have cared one way or the other. I remember seeing sputnik 3, and many others of that era. I remember seeing Echo 1 and 2 many times. Now the light pollution is so bad I doubt you can see much more than the ISS, or Shuttle. I used to be able to easily see the HST, but now it’s very difficult to see.