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.
Guy Bluford became the first African American in space on Aug. 30, 1983, aboard the Challenger on NASA's eight space shuttle mission (STS-8). Guion Guy Bluford is a former NASA astronaut who was the first African-American to fly into space. He flew four shuttle missions. Bluford's class of astronauts from 1978 included two other African-Americans: Ron McNair (who later died on the space shuttle Challenger in 1986) and Fred Gregory (who after flying in space, went on to become a NASA deputy administrator.)