Yuri Gagarin

On April 12, 1961, Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin did something no human had ever done before: entered space and returned safely. Not only did this mean that the Soviet Union had won the race into space, but it also meant the Communist country had a lead in rocket technology and nuclear weaponry over the United States.

April 12, 2007 10:36 AM PDT

Photo by: NASA