Yuri Gagarin made history on April 12, 1961, when he became the first human to travel into outer space aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft. Gagarin’s flight lasted 108 minutes, and he completed one orbit around the Earth, reaching an altitude of about 200 miles (327 kilometers). This monumental achievement marked a significant milestone in the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War era.