Yuri Gagarin was a bold pilot who was born on March 9, 1934, and died on March 27, 1968. He became the most famous person in the world when he became the very first human to travel into outer space! On April 12, 1961, he blasted off in a round spaceship called Vostok 1. He zoomed completely around the Earth in just 108 minutes!
As Yuri looked out his small window, he saw how incredibly beautiful and blue our planet is! When he returned safely to Earth, millions of people cheered for him. Before his grand adventure, he worked hard as a pilot and always had a big, friendly smile. His brave journey proved that humans could leave Earth and explore the wonderful mysteries of space!