Who was the first man to complete a manned spaceflight?

The first man to complete a manned spaceflight was Yuri Gagarin. On April 12, 1961, he orbited the Earth aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft, marking a significant milestone in human space exploration. Gagarin's flight lasted approximately 108 minutes, during which he completed one orbit around the planet. This historic event not only demonstrated the feasibility of human space travel but also positioned the Soviet Union as a leader in the space race during the Cold War era. His achievement is celebrated globally, particularly in Russia, where April 12 is commemorated as Yuri's Night, or the World Space Party.

In contrast, while Alan Shepard was the first American in space with his suborbital flight in 1961 and Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the Moon in 1969 as part of the Apollo 11 mission, and Buzz Aldrin was also part of that historic lunar mission, neither completed the first orbital flight around the Earth.