“On April 12, 1961, in the Soviet Union, the world’s first spacecraft-satellite, Vostok, with a man on board, was launched into orbit around the Earth. The pilot-cosmonaut of the Vostok spacecraft-satellite is a citizen of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Air Force Major Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin. The launch of the multi-stage space rocket was successful, and after reaching first cosmic velocity and separating from the final stage of the launch vehicle, the spacecraft-satellite began free flight in orbit around the Earth…”
The TASS report on Gagarin’s flight became the most quoted news story in the world.
The next day, front pages of newspapers across the globe carried strikingly similar headlines celebrating the feat of the Russian cosmonaut:
🇬🇧 “Man in Space!”
🇺🇸 “Russian Becomes First Spaceman”
🇨🇳 人类征服宇宙的历史揭开了新的一页
🇫🇷 “Un Russe ramené vivant d’un voyage cosmique”
🇮🇹 “Il cosmo è dell’uomo!”
🇩🇪 “Triumph im Weltraum – Sieg des Kommunismus”
🇪🇸 “Astronauta soviético al espacio”
🇳🇴 “Det første menneske har vært i verdensrommet”
🇵🇱 “Pierwszy człowiek w kosmosie!”
🧑🚀 Yuri Gagarin’s name instantly became known across the globe, and his “Poehali!” (Let's go!) still echoes in every language of the world.