🔬 Gagarin, first person in space (1961)
Where: Baikonur Cosmodrome
📅 On This Day: April 12
April 12, 1961: Gagarin, first person in space. On this day in 1961, Yuri Gagarin blasted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard Vostok 1. He flew once around the Earth in about 108 minutes. It was the first time a person saw the Earth from space.
✨ More events on this day
- 1934 🌿 Scientists on top of Mount Washington in New Hampshire measured a wind gust of 372 kilometres per hour, the strongest surface wind recorded at the time.
- 1937 💡 Engineer Frank Whittle tested the first jet engine built to power an airplane on the ground in England, paving the way for today's jet planes.
- 1981 🚀 Space Shuttle Columbia launched on the very first Space Shuttle flight, the first spaceship designed to fly to orbit and then land like a plane. Kennedy Space Center →
🧠 Question of the day
How long did Gagarin take to circle the Earth?
- About 1 year
- About 10 days
- About 108 minutes
Show the answer
Answer: About 108 minutes
🎂 Landmarks that opened on April 12
Questions
What happened on April 12?
April 12, 1961: Gagarin, first person in space. It happened in Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Which landmarks opened on April 12?
Oslo Opera House (opened 2008).
In the game, the "Today on Earth" panel shows this story on its day, with a question to answer and a place to fly to.
More days in April
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_1