VOICED: Fifty years on since Gagarin's flight into space

Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, launched from the USSR on April 12, 1961, orbiting Earth in under two hours. His achievement was celebrated across the Soviet Union, marking a significant Cold War victory over the USA. Gagarin, from a humble background, became a national icon and a symbol of Soviet ideology. Despite his untimely death in a 1968 plane crash, Gagarin's legacy endures as a global hero whose image survived the USSR's collapse.

What background did Yuri Gagarin come from?

What were Gagarin's dreams after orbiting the Earth?