Passersby in Moscow, 1961. The photograph shows passersby in Moscow in April 1961, listening with amazement and disbelief to news of Yuri Gagarin’s first space flight broadcast over public loudspeakers.

Scene: A group of people, including men and women in typical Soviet clothing of the early 1960s, stopped on a street or square. Their faces show astonishment, disbelief, or enthusiasm as they look upward at the loudspeakers.

Background: A typical Moscow street or square with trolleybuses, old buildings, and other passersby slowly gathering.

Atmosphere: A unique moment in which Soviet citizens learn that a human has for the first time orbited the Earth — a milestone in space exploration history.

The photograph symbolizes the surprise and pride of the Soviet population, reached by the news of Gagarin’s success in the midst of everyday life — a historic moment of collective wonder.