Birth of Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin, Cosmonaut Pilot, the First Human to journey into Outer Space, Hero of the Soviet Union

Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934 in the village of Klushino, Gzhatsky (now Gagarin) District, Smolensk Region, in a peasant family. His father, Alexey Ivanovich (1902-1973), was a carpenter; his mother, Anna Timofeyevna (1903-1984), was a dairy farmer.

In June 1951, Yuri Gagarin graduated from vocational school No. 10 in Lyubertsy, Moscow Region, with a degree in molding and casting. At the same time, he graduated from the 7th grade of the Lyubertsy Evening School of Working Youth. From 1951 to 1955, he studied at the Saratov Industrial College, majoring in foundry production. In 1954-1955, as a college student, he attended the Saratov Regional Aero Club. On the Yak-18 aircraft, he performed 196 flights and flew 42 hours and 23 minutes. On March 14, 1955, he made his first parachute jump. In 1955-1957, he studied in Orenburg, at the First Chkalovsky Higher Air Force Pilots School named after K. E. Voroshilov, from which he graduated with honours, having received the qualification of a fighter pilot. Since December 1957, he served as a military pilot in the 169th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 122nd Fighter Aviation Division of the Northern Fleet Air Force.

In 1959, Yuri Gagarin wrote a report on enrollment in a group of testers of new flight equipment. He was examined at the Central Research Aviation Hospital and on March 7, 1960 was enrolled as a student-cosmonaut in the cosmonaut detachment of the Cosmonaut Training Centre. From October 11, 1960, as part of a group of six pilots, he was trained for the first manned flight on the Vostok spacecraft. On April 8, 1961, Senior Lieutenant of the Air Force Yuri Alekseyvich Gagarin was approved as the pilot of the Vostok spacecraft, on which he flew into space on April 12, 1961 from the launch pad No. 1 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, for the first time in the history of mankind. He circled the globe in 1 hour 48 minutes and returned safely to Earth. The landing occurred near Saratov, near the village of Smelovka, Ternovsky District.

For his successful flight, Yuri Gagarin was promoted to major, received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. Newspapers of the USSR and the whole world were full of headlines about the first human space flight in history. The editorial offices were inundated with enthusiastic letters from readers. “The entire Soviet people are delighted with your glorious feat, which will be remembered for centuries as an example of courage, bravery and heroism in the name of serving humanity. Your flight opens a new page in the history of mankind, in the conquest of space, and fills the hearts of Soviet people with great joy and pride...” – this congratulatory speech to Yuri Gagarin from the head of the USSR Nikita Khrushchev were published in the Smena newspaper on April 13, 1961. The “peace mission” of the first cosmonaut of the planet lasted for more than two years, within which he visited about 30 countries.

In May 1961, Yuri Gagarin was appointed commander of the cosmonaut detachment, and in 1963, with the rank of colonel, he was transferred to the post of deputy director of the Cosmonaut Training Centre for Flight and Space Training. In September 1965, he began training for space flight as the commander of the Soyuz spacecraft. On March 27, 1968, Yuri Gagarin tragically died during a training flight near the village of Novosyolovo, Kirzhachsky District, Vladimir Region. The urn with the ashes was buried in the Kremlin wall.

Yuri Gagarin’s life was short, but his fame and contribution to the development of all mankind are truly eternal. Many streets in cities throughout the former USSR, ships, planes, and schools are named after the first cosmonaut of the planet. Monuments to him have been erected all over the world. One of the craters on the far side of the moon is also named after Yuri Gagarin.

Lit.: Александров А. П. Гагарин Юрий Алексеевич // Большая российская энциклопедия; Гагарин Юрий Алексеевич // Персона ТАСС. Режим доступа: https://tass.ru/encyclopedia/person/gagarin-yuriy-alekseevich

Based on the Presidential Library's materials:

Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (1934-1968) // Outer Space: [digital collection]