which russian made history by begin by being the first human to travel into space?
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (Russian: ÑÌÑÐ¸Ð¹ Ð°Ð»ÐµÐºÑÐµÌÐµÐ²Ð¸Ñ Ð³Ð°Ð³Ð°ÌÑÐ¸Ð½; IPA: [ËjÊrÊ²Éªj ÉlÊ²ÉªËksÊ²ejÉªvÊ²ÉªtÉ É¡ÉËÉ¡arÊ²Éªn]; 9 March 1934 â 27 March 1968) was a Russian Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on 12 April 1961. Gagarin became an international celebrity, and was awarded many medals and titles, including Hero of the Soviet Union, the nation's highest honour.