Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin left Kazakhstan for space on 12th April, 1961 - the first human to venture beyond the confines of Earth's atmosphere. As the rocket roared into the sky, Gagarin's now-famous exclamation of "Poyekhali!" ("Let's go!") echoed through the cockpit.
Despite the anticipation surrounding Gagarin's historic flight, the actual experience was relatively brief, lasting a mere 108 minutes. Within that fleeting window, Gagarin's calm demeanour belied the inherent dangers of space travel, as he navigated weightlessness and unfamiliar conditions. Upon reentry, he faced a harrowing ordeal as technical malfunctions threatened his safe return to Earth.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explore how Gagarin's status as a national hero propelled him into the spotlight, yet suppressed his subsequent career trajectory; explain why it was not his ability as a pilot, but his diminutive height, which was most prized in the Sputnik programme; and reveal how his diplomatic world tour took him to the United States, yet without setting foot on U.S. soil…
Further Reading:
• ‘Yuri Gagarin: The first human in space’ (New Scientist): https://www.newscientist.com/people/yuri-gagarin/
• ‘"Let's go!" — Remembering Yuri Gagarin, 60 years on’ (Astronomy Magazine, 2021): https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/lets-go-remembering-yuri-gagarins-first-spaceflight-60-years-later/
• ‘Yuri Gagarin Became The First Human In Space, 57 Years Ago Today’ (NBC News, 2018): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkVAqNbX0Nw
We'll be back on Monday - unless you join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴, where we give you ad-free listening AND a full-length Sunday episode every week!
Plus, weekly bonus content, unlock over 70 bonus bits, and support our independent podcast.
Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!
The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.
Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2024.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Very First Eurovision
Demonstration? Defenestration!
Jerry Lee Lewis's Child Bride
Burying Bob Marley
How To Survive A Nuclear Bomb
The Man Who Invented The Wild West
Marie Antoinette's Wedding
The Unkillable King George
The First Two Minute Silence
Cardinal Richelieu and the Table Knife
The Lady Who Left Her Baby Outside
Captain Blood and the Crown Jewels
Cocaine + Caffeine = Coca-Cola
The Earliest Ambulance
Sending Out Spam
Creating The King James Bible
America's Celebrity Child Soldier
Meet Mr Potato Head
Roget's Lexical Legacy
The First Mountaineer
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
History Obscura
Historycal: Words that Shaped the World
The Rest Is History
Lore