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.
See the Archiveâ. Glenn was the third American to ever enter space and the first to orbit the earth. He died Thursday, aged 95. Astronaut John Glenn enters the Mercury spacecraft, Friendship 7, prior to the launch of MA-6 on February 20, 1961 and became the first American who orbited the Earth.