Yuri Gagarin was a pilot and cosmonaut. He is famous for being the first man in space. His first words in space were: "I see Earth. It's so beautiful !"
Yuri was born near Moskow, Russia on 9 March, 1934. He was raised in a farm. On 1951 Yuri left school as a trained metalworker. On 1955 he  joined the Soviet Air Force.
Yuri was a  brave energetic man and had natural talent for flying. He volunteered to become cosmonaut.
On 12 April, 1961 he travelled into space for 108 mins on Soviet spaceship, Vostok I. It was headline news all over the world.
Yuri died on the 7th of March, 1968, age 34 in a plane crash. This man loved life and made his mark on history. The crater on the Moon was named after him.