On April 12, 1961, the USSR launched "Vostok 1" into space. This is the first manned spacecraft. Yuri Gagarin is on board.
The first cosmonaut must be excellently trained and become the face of the Soviet state, representing it worthily to the world. Gagarin possesses exactly these qualities and this is among the determining factors in his selection for the first flight. The final word has Nikita Khrushchev, at that time the first secretary of the ruling communist party in the USSR, the CPSU. When he is shown the photos of the first cosmonauts, he chooses Gagarin without hesitation.
Gagarin's first words in outer space are "Let's go!". Gagarin's call sign was "Kedar". The ship made one orbit around the Earth, lasting 1 hour and 48 minutes, and headed for a landing in the Saratov region. Since the landing systems of "Vostok 1" had not been sufficiently tested, at an altitude of 7 km Gagarin decided to eject and land with a parachute. The landing was successful near the descent vehicle.
The news traveled around the world with lightning speed. Two days later, he was solemnly welcomed on Red Square in Moscow in front of tens of thousands of enthusiastic people who had come to see him. For this flight, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and was promoted to the rank of major, and April 12 began to be celebrated as International Aviation and Cosmonautics Day.