BellaOnline Forums Education Astronomy April 12 is Yuri's Night - Party Time!

On April 12, 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first man to orbit the Earth. On April 12, 2001 the first Yuri's Night was held to commemorate this event is also sometimes called World Space Party.

Is there an event near you? If not, and you don't have any plans, you can meet up with friends and have a little party of your own.

April 12, 2011 was the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight. For this anniversary a film was made recreating the historic voyage with the assistance of astronauts on board the International Space Station. You can read about the making of the film "First Orbit" here.

You can see the film itself online.

A former BellaOnline editor wrote an interesting article about Yuri Gagarin's visit to Britain and the musical heritage of his great adventure.

In a sense, Gagarin wasn't the first cosmonaut, though he was the first man in orbit. He was preceded in orbit by Laika, the dog who was sent into space in Sputnik 2. Sadly, Laika died soon after liftoff.