The First Man to Enter Outer Space - Yuri Gagarin

By Shawna S. Ruppert

Yuri Gagarin trivia should be interesting to anyone who has an interest in the space race, astronomy, or the various space programs of the world, as he stands in the category of the most important explorers and pioneers of outer space. Full name Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin, he was a cosmonaut who lived from 1934-1968. Although American's frequently think of Neil Armstrong as the greatest explorer of outer space, it needs to be remembered that he was only the first on the moon. A Yuri Gagarin quiz would reveal that Gagarin was the person who completed two, perhaps even more significant firsts, he was the first person to ever travel to outer space, and to orbit the earth, two events which would pave the way not only for Armstrong, but also for all future space exploration.

An interesting point of Yuri Gagarin trivia is that he was incredibly short for a full grown Russian Man, measuring only 5'2" tall when full grown. This was something that actually turned into an advantage for Gagarin. He learned to fly during high school but them proceeded to military flight training, and his small size allowed him to fit with more comfort and more maneuverability into some of the extremely cramped quarters in certain planes. He began flying in the Soviet Airforce as a pilot of a MiG 15. His entry into the cosmonaut program was due to his being able to fit in the tiny Vostok cockpit, and due to his incredible physical and mental toughness.

Gagarin became a worldwide hero after his venture into space. He would tour the world to discuss the flight, and quickly rose in the ranks of the Air Force as the greatest hero the people of the time had. Gagarin was a Colonel by 1963, but was held back from active duty in space flight due to the politicians and commanders of the military's fears about losing the popular face of their efforts. He was scheduled to be the backup pilot for Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov, but after Komaraov's flight killed him, the authorities chose to protect Gagarin and prevented him from flying the mission.

Gagarin was killed in 1968 in a routine flight in a MiG-15, a plane he was certainly familiar with. There have been conflicting reports and theories that would be part of any Yuri Gagarin quiz which attempt to explain the accident, ranging from poor weather reports to other planes passing too close to Gagarin's flight path.

Masters of Trivia is a website dedicated to trivia games and quizzes that cover several different areas of interest. The various trivia questions available on the site can be easily accessed and played by going to http://www.mastersoftrivia.com

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