who was the first person to visit space?

Answer 1

How do you define space? If your definition of space is "away from Earth", then the Apollo astronauts are the first to visit space. If you define space as "in orbit around Earth" then Yuri Gregarin was the first to visit space.

Answer 2

First European: Yuri Gagarin of the USSR flew to space April 12, 1961

Answer 3

I think I read of one person who was in "space" before Gagarin. If I remember right, he went up in a sort of hot-air balloon that was enclosed with air vents. When he got above a certain point, the scientists on the ground realized they'd accidentally put the air vents in backwards, and they were sucking air out instead of bringing more air in.

The book I read might've made that up. I'm not sure. I read it something like 6 years ago.

Answer 4

Yuri Gagarin orbited the earth in about 1959.

Answer 5

That would be Yuri Gagarin who first went into orbit of the Earth.
I guess that would be considered space....

Answer 6

Oh boy....
Lots of controversy.
But it might have been Aleksei Ledovsky in 1957 inside a rocket similar to the one Laika (barker) was launched in, R-5A rocket. In order to fit him in they removed a lot of equipment, so when he died from lack of life support it was covered up. hush hush.

OR

Some dude in a baloon from france. kinda wierd but Technicaly he went above the 100km. he probably died of exposure and lack of atmosphere cuz his baloon was never found. This might be fiction.

Answer 7

First MAN in space? No ship, check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BOK1aMIhp4