Basic Information:

On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space, orbiting Earth for 108 minutes (which is 1.8 hours) aboard Vostok 1. This monumental achievement is celebrated annually as Cosmonautics Day and the International Day of Human Space Flight to honor space exploration.

In 2011, the United Nations declared April 12 as the International Day of Human Space Flight.

A quote from the Soviet Cosmonaut:

"Orbiting Earth in the spaceship, I saw how beautiful our planet is. People, let us preserve and increase this beauty, not destroy it!" – Yuri Gagarin