Юрий Гагарин

On this day 52 years ago Yuri Gagarin (Юрий Гагарин) was the first man to orbit the Earth.

It was a great political victory during the Cold War for the U.S.S.R.  I remember how disappointed I was, which wasn't surprising considering how the "Space Race" reflected national prestige.

Nikita Kruschev, then Premier, is quoted as saying "Gagarin flew into space but didn't see any God there."  He was a good Communist!