Yuri Gagarin was a Soviet cosmonaut who became the first human to travel into space. On April 12, 1961, he orbited the Earth aboard the spacecraft Vostok 1, completing one full orbit in about 108 minutes. His successful mission marked a significant achievement in the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States. Gagarin's flight made him an international hero and a symbol of Soviet space exploration. After his historic journey, he continued to work in the space program and became a public figure, promoting space travel and science until his untimely death in a plane crash in 1968.