Description
The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space on April 12, 1961, when his capsule, Vostok 1, completed a single orbit of Planet Earth. This event, a critical milestone in the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States, inspired John F. Kennedy’s famous push to send a manned spacecraft to the moon. Gagarin died in an airplane crash in 1968.–This 50 rubles banknote, featuring the portrait of Vladimir Lenin, was issued in 1961, the year Gagarin went into space. 2021 marks the 60th anniversary of the milestone.