1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi there, Welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: where we sift through the artifacts of history seven days 4 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:23,439 Speaker 1: a week. Today is April twelve, nineteen. The day was 5 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:29,680 Speaker 1: April twelfth, nineteen sixty one. Soviet Union cosmonaut Yuri Alexevich 6 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 1: Gogaden spent one hour in forty eight minutes in space 7 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: aboard the spacecraft VOSS Stock one, becoming the first person 8 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:42,559 Speaker 1: to fly into outer space. Gogoden's pioneering flight garnered a 9 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: ton of celebration from around the world, and the space 10 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:51,000 Speaker 1: phrase between the US and Soviet Union was intensifying. Googden 11 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: graduated from the Soviet Air Force Cadet School in nineteen 12 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 1: fifty seven. By nineteen fifty nine, he had risen to 13 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 1: the rank of senior lieutenant in the Soviet Air Forces 14 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: and was interested in becoming a cosmonaut. The next year, 15 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: Gogden and nineteen other pilots were chosen to take part 16 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:12,720 Speaker 1: in the Soviet space program. He became one of the 17 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 1: Vanguard six, or the group of cosmonauts who went through 18 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:21,120 Speaker 1: accelerated training to be sent into space through the Vostok program. 19 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:24,279 Speaker 1: The program was the Soviet space flight project that aimed 20 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 1: to send people into low Earth orbit and then bring 21 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:31,959 Speaker 1: them back to Earth. After Gogotten and the other candidates 22 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: endured training for the space flight and experiments that tested 23 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 1: their preparedness and endurance, it was determined that Gogotten and 24 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 1: his colleague German Titov were the best candidates for the 25 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: first trip into space, since they were short and the 26 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: spacecraft's cockpit was tiny. In the end, Gotten beat out 27 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 1: Titov when he was slated to make the first human 28 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 1: flight in space. Many of the goddens peers believed he 29 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,040 Speaker 1: should be the first to venture into space, and a 30 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 1: doctor who evaluated him said he was modest, had quick 31 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: reactions and appeared to understand him life better than a 32 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 1: lot of his friends. Launches that sent dogs, mice, insects, 33 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: guinea pigs, and other organisms into space in nineteen sixty 34 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 1: and nineteen sixty one were successful. The last uncrewed test mission, 35 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 1: in late March of nineteen sixty one, sent a mannequin 36 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 1: and a dog named vez Dochka. It was completely successful, 37 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 1: so the Soviet Union decided to move forward with the 38 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 1: crude mission. Just before he took off, Gotten joked about 39 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 1: having enough moonshine to go with the sausage he was 40 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:42,880 Speaker 1: given to eat once he got back to Earth. At 41 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: nine oh seven am Moscow time on April twelfth, nineteen 42 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 1: sixty one, the Vostok one spacecraft carrying go Gotten blasted 43 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: off from a launch complex called Bichael nor Cosmo Drome. 44 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:58,080 Speaker 1: As it lifted off, twenty seven year old go Gotten 45 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:04,080 Speaker 1: yelled Piachali, translated to English as let's go. Godd could 46 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:06,880 Speaker 1: not do much aboard the spacecraft as much of the 47 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 1: craft's operations were controlled from the ground. He had a 48 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:14,119 Speaker 1: manual override code, and there were provisions on the spacecraft 49 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:16,680 Speaker 1: in case a malfunction caused him to have to stay 50 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: in space longer, but his single orbit around the Earth 51 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:23,959 Speaker 1: was uneventful. In the nearly two hours that he was 52 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: in flight, the Vostok one reached a maximum height of 53 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:31,840 Speaker 1: two and three miles. Goagd and ejected himself before the 54 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 1: spacecraft landed, as the descent module and service module failed 55 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: to separate properly and the spacecraft did not have a 56 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 1: safe landing system. He parachuted down near the Vulgar River, 57 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: and the spacecraft landed in Kazakhstan. The Soviets falsified his 58 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 1: flight record and didn't say that he ejected until nineteen 59 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: seventy one, since the World Air Sports Federation said pilots 60 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: had to land with their spacecraft for the trip to 61 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 1: count as a space flight. Later, after some controversy over 62 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 1: Gogoden and his fellow cosmonaut Titov's ejections, the World Air 63 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 1: Sports Federation switched the parameters that defined spaceflight and decided 64 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: to honor their feats. Still, the world recognized Gogoden as 65 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: the first person to travel into space and to orbit Earth. 66 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:25,119 Speaker 1: When Gogden touchdown on the planet, he became a celebrity 67 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:29,679 Speaker 1: and traveled around the world promoting his accomplishment. Gogden became 68 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: a Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union 69 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 1: and commander of the Cosmonauts Detachment, and Soviet Premier Nikita 70 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:40,480 Speaker 1: Krushchev awarded him the Order of Linen and named him 71 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: a Hero of the Soviet Union. Alan Shepherd became the 72 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:47,719 Speaker 1: first American in space on May fifth, nineteen sixty one, 73 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:50,559 Speaker 1: but a U S astronaut didn't orbit the Earth until 74 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 1: John Glenn did so in February nineteen sixty two. Since 75 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 1: Gogoden was now a celebrated figure, the Soviets did not 76 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 1: want to risk sending him back into space, and all 77 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 1: the touring in fame led to a drinking problem for 78 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:09,160 Speaker 1: good Gotten. He did continue to make test fights for 79 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 1: the Air Force and trained other cosmonauts. Though in Night, 80 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 1: good Gotten and a flight instructor were killed while test 81 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:21,240 Speaker 1: piloting a jet Fighter aircraft. He was survived by a 82 00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:25,520 Speaker 1: wife and two daughters. Soon, the US and Soviet Union 83 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:30,360 Speaker 1: space exploration rivalry turned into a collaboration. In April twelve, 84 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: is now known as Cosmonautics Day in Russia and other 85 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:38,599 Speaker 1: former Soviet states, and the United Nations General Assembly has 86 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 1: declared it the International Day of Human space Flight. I'm 87 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:46,480 Speaker 1: Eve Steffcote and hopefully you know a little more about 88 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. If there's something that 89 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:53,839 Speaker 1: I missed in an episode, you can share it with 90 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: everybody else on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook at T d 91 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 1: i HC Podcast. Thanks for listening today and we'll see 92 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:14,039 Speaker 1: you again tomorrow. M m hm.