April 12 — Cosmonautics Day: the history of the first flight into space and the traditions of the holiday

In Russia and around the world, on April 12, the greatest achievement of science of the 20th century is celebrated by celebrating Cosmonautics Day. The anniversary of the first human spaceflight in 2025 falls on Saturday. Izvestia tells how the Soviet cosmonaut opened a new page in the history of mankind and how a significant date is being celebrated now.

The history of the Cosmonautics Day holiday

Since ancient times, man has taken steps to explore the cosmic distances. Before the scientific and technological achievements of the 20th century, the possibility of space flight was only a picture from fantasy films, but the development of the space industry and the huge contribution of Soviet scientists helped make this a reality.

On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin went into space on the Vostok satellite spacecraft. The tests were supervised by Sergey Korolev, Leonid Voskresensky and Anatoly Kirillov. The flight lasted 108 minutes, during which the ship made a free flight around the planet and successfully landed at the designated location — near the village of Smelovka in the Saratov region.

Opened in space: an exhibition in honor of Leonov was shown in orbit

For the first time, an exhibition was organized on the ISS and a guided tour was conducted.

Gagarin got off the ship as one of the most famous people of the century.

In memory of the courage and professionalism of the Russian cosmonaut, Gagarin's colleague German Titov proposed the establishment of Cosmonautics Day both in the Soviet Union and around the world.

The initiative was supported, and in November 1968, the members of the General Conference of the International Aviation Federation approved April 12 as World Aviation and Space Day.

Later, the holiday received another hypostasis — on April 7, 2011, the UN General Assembly declared April 12 the International Day of Human Spaceflight.

Cosmonautics Day in 2025: holiday traditions

In Russia, Cosmonautics Day is celebrated on a grand scale — Gagarin's flight remains a national treasure and the pride of achievements of Russian science. The culprits of the celebration are cosmonauts, engineers, designers, test pilots, graduates and teachers of specialized universities.

On the day of the holiday, experts gather for scientific conferences and seminars, discuss the latest achievements in the space industry and future plans for exploring the vastness of the universe.

A huge number of educational events are held on the occasion of the holiday — thematic lessons are organized in schools, students are invited to thematic museums and planetariums.

They even talk about space and the achievements of Russian cosmonauts in kindergartens. Drawing and model contests are often held for Cosmonautics Day, and young testers even make rocket models themselves.