In April 1961 the Soviet Union and the United States were racing to put the first person into space. The Soviets chose a 27-year-old fighter pilot named Yuri Gagarin. He was famously calm - his pulse barely went up before launch - and he was small enough to fit inside the cramped Vostok 1 capsule.
On 12 April, his rocket roared off the pad. Gagarin shouted “Poyekhali!” - Russian for “Let’s go!” Just 108 minutes later, after one full orbit of Earth, he ejected from his capsule and parachuted down into a field in Russia. A farmer and her granddaughter saw him land in his bright orange suit and ran the other way.
Overnight, Gagarin became one of the most famous people on the planet. He toured the world, met kings and presidents, and remained a hero in his homeland. Tragically, he died in a routine training flight just seven years later, at age 34. Cosmonauts today still leave flowers at his memorial before each launch.
