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

Scene: A group of people, including men and women in typical Soviet clothing of the early 1960s, standing still on a street or square. Their faces display 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 learned that a human being had orbited the Earth for the first time – a milestone in space history.

The photograph symbolizes the surprise and pride of the Soviet population, reached by the news of Gagarin’s success in the midst of their daily lives – a historic moment of collective wonder.