Today is the 44th anniversary of the world's first manned space flight. On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin blasted off from the Soviet Baikonur space center for a 108 minute flight in the Vosktok-1. How much has changed since those early days of the "Space Race." We've landed men on the Moon, sent probes around and out of the Solar System, and have a permanent space station orbiting the Earth.
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For those alive at the time, what did you think about Gagarin's launch? Were you inspired by the fact that man had left Earth? Was this outweighed by the political ramifications of the event?
Another Anniversary
