On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made history as the first human to travel into space, orbiting the Earth aboard Vostok 1. This monumental achievement lasted 108 minutes and showcased the Soviet Union's advancements in space technology during the Cold War. Gagarin's flight not only marked a significant milestone in human exploration but also intensified the space race, inspiring generations to pursue careers in science and engineering.

Gagarin's flight inspired an extraordinary global outpouring of poetry; Pablo Neruda, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, and poets across Africa and Asia wrote odes to his flight; the event became a defining moment for post-colonial literary cultures asserting that humanity — not just the West — had reached space.