Born March 9, 1934 (Klushino, Russia)

Died March 27, 1968 (Near Moscow, Russia)

Russian cosmonaut

In 1957 the former Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man-made space satellite (an object that orbits in space). Four years later, on April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut (astronaut) Yuri Gagarin made a successful orbit of Earth aboard the spacecraft Vostok. As the first human to fly in space, Gagarin represented a technical triumph for the Soviet Union. Since the end of World War II (1939–45) the Soviet Union had been engaged in the Cold War (1945–91), a period of hostile relations, with the United States. The two world powers were not only competing for military superiority but also racing to be the first to explore space. Gagarin's achievement, therefore, signaled that the Soviet Union was moving ahead in the Cold War. Although Gagarin did not make another space flight, he remained a national hero and a leader in Russia's...