On 16 May 2012, at 14:31, Terry Blanton <[email protected]> wrote: > Did the first manned rocket launch in 1961 carrying Yuri Gagarin? Or > did it launch in 1933 carrying Otto Fischer? > http://io9.com/5908728/did-the-germans-launch-a-crewed-rocket-into-space-in-1933 >
Actually, Yuri Gagarin was not the first astronaut in space, but Americans won the space race, because Ham the Astrochimp (1956-1983) was the first astronaut in space (January 1961).Yuri was only the second Great Ape in space (April 1961). I think that ignoring Ham is one of the biggest errors in writing of modern history. Recognising Ham's merit as a first in space would also be a giant leap for mankind, because it would help on recognising partial human rights for great apes. ―Jouni http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ham_the_Chimp
