Joeri Gagarin (1934-1968)

A Russian Hall of Fame can only begin one way: by launching it with none other than Yuri Gagarin. On April 12, 1961, at the age of 27, this humble young man stepped into the Vostok 1, was shot into space, and returned two hours later as a global icon.

The First

There are doubts about whether Gagarin was really the first person in space. Some claim others went before him but didn’t survive. Gagarin, they say, didn’t deserve the honor because he didn’t land according to the rules (inside the Vostok 1 capsule).

Check out Yuri Gagarin Was Not The First Man In Space (Spark, 2018, 50 min), Cosmonaut Cover-Up (Timeline, 2018, 50 min), and Was Gagarin really the first man in space? (Point, 2013, 5 min). Read Was Gagarin really the first man in space? (Russia Beyond, 2020) and Why Yuri Gagarin Remains the First Man in Space, Even Though He Did Not Land Inside His Spacecraft (Smithsonian, 2010). Regardless of the debates, Yuri Gagarin remains the first human to venture into space and return to tell the tale.

USSR vs. USA

More important than who the first person in space was: they were Soviet, not American. USSR 1 - USA 0.

The first human on the moon, eight years after Gagarin’s feat, was a significant achievement. But by then, the USSR had claimed the first prize. Now, everyone knows Neil Armstrong, while Gagarin is slowly being forgotten outside of Russia. Not by the Russians though—they won the space race, and that’s how it will always be.

• Why Russian Domination in Space Was a Worry for the U.S. (Smithsonian Channel, 2020, 3 min)
• Why the Soviets Beat America To Space (Athenaism, 2019, 10 min)
• Who Won the Space Race - USA or USSR? (Popular Science, 2017, 4 min)
• Why Russia Did Not Put a Man on the Moon (Curious Droid, 2016, 14 min)

April 12, 1961

Before the launch, Yuri Gagarin, from Klushino, addressed all of humanity with these words: дорогие друзья, близкие и незнакомые, соотечественники, люди всех стран и континентов – dear friends, both near and far, fellow countrymen, people of all nations and continents. See Russian Speech: Yuri Gagarin (Boost Your Russian, 2020, 2 min).

And when the moment finally arrived, he didn’t shout “Help!” or “Oh my God,” but Поехали! (Poyekhali!)—Let’s go!

• Он сказал «Поехали!»: история фразы (Тотальный диктант, 2020, 2 min)
• Yuri Gagarin Launches as First Human in Space – Footage And Radio (2017, 2 min)

Back on Earth

Things went wrong that day, but none with fatal consequences. Just under two hours later, Gagarin was back on solid ground, although life would never be the same for him again.

Yuri Gagarin Became The First Human In Space, 57 Years Ago Today
(NBC News, 2018, 2 min)

World Tour

Two days after his flight, he was greeted in Moscow as a hero. This was the start of a world tour, which took him to countries like Brazil, Canada, Cuba, England, and Japan.

Yuri Gagarin parade after returning from space
See also Встреча Гагарина в Москве 14 апреля 1961 года (History Lab, 2020, 4 min).

In London, on July 11, Gagarin appeared on the BBC for an interview (with a translator). He was even asked if he really was the first. Throughout, Gagarin looked calm and upbeat, as always.

Interview enhanced by neural networks. Yuri Gagarin, London, 1961 (Denis Shiryaev, 2020, 9 min)

March 27, 1968

Less than seven years after his return, Yuri Gagarin died in a plane crash at the age of 34. Once again, theories abound.

• Юрий Гагарин. Циничная рас права. Что на самом произошло в небе над Киржачом(Наблюдатель реальности, 2020, 47 min)
• The First Human in Space – A Mysterious Death (ColdFusion, 2019, 13 min)

Also read The mysterious death of Yuri Gagarin (Russia Beyond, 2019). Footage from his funeral in Gagarin Funeral (1968) (British Pathé, 2014, 1 min).

More

See

• Yuri Gagarin: The First Man in Space (Biographics, 2020, 25 min)
• «Звезда по имени Гагарин». Документальный фильм (Документальное кино на Первом, 2019, 50 min)
• Gagarin: Untold Story of First Man in Space (RT, 2014, 26 min)

See/read

• 10 неизвестных фактов о полете Гагарина (Russia Beyond, 2020)
• Biography of Yuri Gagarin, First Man in Space (ThoughtCo., 2019)
• The First One Beyond The Earth (RGO, 2019)

Photos available via Getty Images.

Music: Underwood.