Born March 6, 1937 (Maslennikovo, Russia)

Russian cosmonaut

Valentina Tereshkova made history by becoming the first woman to fly in space. She accomplished this feat in 1963, at the height of the former Soviet Union's space program. In 1957 the Soviets had launched Sputnik 1, the first man-made satellite (an object that orbits in space), and in 1961 cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (1934–1968; see entry) had made the first successful orbit of Earth onboard the spacecraft Vostok 1. These triumphs took place during the Cold War (1945–91), a period of hostile relations between the Soviet Union and the United States. Since World War II (1939–45) the two super-powers had been engaged in an arms race for military superiority. Now the competition included a space race, and the Soviets were winning. The United States had sent its first astronaut, Alan Shepard (1923–1998; see box in John Glenn [1921–] entry), into orbit, but this was the only real U.S. space...