The United Nations General Assembly named the 12^th of April as the International Day of Human Space Flight. In its resolution A/RES/65/271, the General Assembly says the day was established “to celebrate each year at the international level the beginning of the space era for mankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the well-being of States and people, as well as ensuring the realization of their aspiration to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes.”

Yuri Gagarin, of the Soviet Union, was on the first human space flight which occurred on the 12^th of April, 1961. This event has widely been known to pave the way for exploring space for the benefit of all people.