They were unmanned, although Sputnik 2 carried a dog into space.
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Unmanned. Explorer I, launched February 1, 1958, was the first US artificial satellite. It was approximately 4 feet long and 8 inches in diameter (1.2 m by .2 m) and weighed 30 lb. (14 kg).
Sputnik was a series of satellites built and launched by the then Soviet union. Sputnik 1 and 2 became the first two man made objects to attain orbit around the Earth.
The unique thing concerning the Sputnik 2 (compared to previous Sputnik 1 satellite) was the fact it carried the first living being into other space - a dog named Laika. "Laika" translates to English as "Barker".
The dog, Laika, died due to temperature increase.
Sputnik 2 has been in space for sixty (60) days.