Who became the first human to orbit Earth when Vostok 1 launched in 1961?

Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit Earth when Vostok 1 launched in 1961.

The Soviet cosmonaut lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome on 12 April 1961 aboard Vostok 1. The flight lasted 108 minutes and completed one orbit of Earth before the spacecraft returned. Gagarin’s call sign was Kedr, meaning “cedar.”

The mission was a major milestone in the Space Race and made Gagarin an international figure. He was 27 years old at launch and was promoted to the rank of major after the flight. His famous radio statement, “Poyekhali!” is often translated as “Let’s go!”

Alan Shepard became the first American in space later in 1961, but his Mercury-Redstone 3 flight was suborbital. John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth in 1962, so neither was the first human orbital astronaut.