Civil War. The period between 1861-1865 was the most one of the most devastating in American history, both in terms of its death toll and its impact on the American psyche. Learn about the war and the events that precipitated it with these resources and study guides. History & Culture. Top Five Causes of the Civil War.
The first person to travel in space was Soviet cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin (1934-1968). His achievement brought prestige to the Soviet Union. Gagarin orbited the Earth in the spaceship Vostok I, which was launched April 12, 1961, in a flight lasting one hour and forty-eight minutes.
Glenn was preceded in space by two Americans, Alan B. Shepard Jr. and Virgil I. âGusâ Grissom, and two Soviets, Yuri A. Gagarin and Gherman S. Titov. In April 1961, Gagarin was the first man in space, and his spacecraft Vostok 1 made a full orbit before returning to Earth. Less than one month later, Shepard was launched into space aboard Freedom 7 on a suborbital flight. In July, Grissom made another brief suborbital flight aboard Liberty Bell 7.