April 12, Yuri Gagarin becomes first human in space

Why people claim Yuri Gagarin wasn’t the first man in space - and why they're wrong

There’s nothing dumber than a technicality, especially when people are putting their lives on the line to do something incredible. If there’s ever a clearer illustration of the critics against Theodore Roosevelt’s “man in the arena,” it’s Soviet space pioneer Yuri Gagarin and the naysayers who believe he wasn’t the first human to break the surly bonds of Earth.  On April 12, 1961, after saying the epic line, “Poyekhali!” (“let’s go!”) Soviet cos…

Dinesh Sharma’s new book on ‘Space: The India Story’ is creating more ripples

New Delhi: The International Day of Human Space Flight is observed every year to commemorate the maiden human space flight, which took place on 12th April 1961 when Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel to space. A new book on India’s space heritage and technological journey recalls how Gagarin became a household name in India, and was accorded a public reception when he toured the country in November 1961. The book, Space: The India Sto…

Tragedy of first man to step foot in space as mysterious death remains unsolved - The Mirror

Yuri Gagarin was the first man to ever step foot in space in 1961 but what happened six years later to cause his death at the tender age of 34 still haunts his family

April 12, Yuri Gagarin becomes first human in space

Today is Saturday, April 12, the 102nd day of 2025. There are 263 days left in the year. Today in history: On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space, orbiting the earth once before landing safely via parachute after a planned ejection from his space capsule. Also on this date: In 1861, the U.S. Civil War began as Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter in South Carolina. In 1945, President Franklin D.…

How far we've come since Yuri Gagarin first went to space 63 years ago

Yuri Gagarin was at the forefront of human advancement (Picture: REX) 64 years ago, a man born in a tiny Russian village to a carpenter and a dairy farmer spent 108 minutes looking down at Earth. Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, then 27, became the first human to enter space on April 12, 1961, in a mission seen as one of Russia’s – and humanity’s – greatest achievements. At the time, the US and the Soviet Union were engaged in a years-long space race as …

The aspirations to go beyond the planet are also strengthened in the nations of the Global South. Within the BRICS group, a particular vision of outer space has emerged: a pragmatic perspective based on international cooperation. Russia is rightly considered a pioneer of space. Gagarin’s flight in 1961 marked the beginning of a new era for all humanity. Two years later, Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. These symbolic figures…