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

This week we are joined by public historian Greg Jenner to hear the epic tale of Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey! This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 18:16 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the report).Come see us in Canada in S ...  Show more

This week our Canadian-Australian friend Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall tells us all about the War of 1812, fought between the United States and the United Kingdom. This story, integral to the history of Canada results in the Capture of Washington and the burning of many buildings, i ...  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 ...