USSR 1961 First Man in Space Stamps (Yuri Gagarin)

Yuri Gagarin flew on April 12, 1961, and the Soviet post had commemorative stamps on sale the very next day, with a second Gagarin stamp following on April 14. The set carries the slogan of the moment, a man of the Land of Soviets in space, across bold poster-style scenes: Gagarin's portrait, a rocket climbing past the Kremlin's Spassky Tower and a red rocket streaking over Moscow. For a space-race collection, this is the counterpart to every American first that follows, and the speed of its release is part of the story.