Who was the first person to travel into space?

Yuri Gagarin was the first person to travel into space, achieving this historic milestone on April 12, 1961. He orbited the Earth aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft, completing one full orbit that lasted approximately 108 minutes. Gagarin’s flight marked a significant achievement not only for the Soviet space program but for humanity as a whole, as it was the first time anyone had ventured beyond the planet's atmosphere.

His successful mission demonstrated the feasibility of human space travel and paved the way for future missions by establishing a foundation of knowledge about physiological responses and technical challenges faced in space. This achievement was a crucial part of the space race and solidified Gagarin's status as an international hero and a symbol of Soviet prowess in aerospace technology. The other individuals listed, while significant figures in space exploration, did not achieve the milestone of being the first human in space.