196 - Yuri Gagarin, the First Person In Space...

The Black Death or The Plague, was a devastating global plague pandemic that swept across Europe, Asia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353 killing a large percentage of Earth's population. On this episode we look at where it came from, how it spread and how it changed the course o ...  Show more

Terry Pratchett is one of the world's most beloved authors - writing humorous fantasy and science fiction including his Discworld series - but his life is just as fascinating, which is why he was voted for by the listeners to be our first topic for BLOCKtober 2026!This is a comed ...  Show more

Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin left Kazakhstan for space on 12th April, 1961 - the first human to venture beyond the confines of Earth's atmosphere. As the rocket roared into the sky, Gagarin's now-famous exclamation of "Poyekhali!" ("Let's go!") echoed through the cockpit. Despi ...  Show more

It’s been 60 years, to the day, since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first human to travel to space in a tiny capsule attached to an R-7 ballistic missile, a powerful rocket originally designed to carry a three- to five-megaton nuclear warhead. In this new episode marking ...  Show more

On 12 April 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became an explorer like none other before him, going faster and further than any human in history, into what had always been the impenetrable and infinite unknown.Raised in poverty during the Second World War, the one-time foundry worker a ...  Show more

In Spring 1961, the Space Race between the US and Soviet Union was well underway. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in Space in April and the Americans knew his achievement had to be matched. Alan Shepard was chosen as the man for the job. Jay Gallentine t ...