Radio announcer Yuri Levitan proclaims Gagarin’s space flight, 1961. The photograph shows Yuri Borisovich Levitan, the most famous radio announcer of the Soviet Union, as he announces on April 12, 1961, the news of the first manned space flight.

Scene: Levitan sits before a large microphone, wearing a suit, and reads the historic announcement with a serious yet solemn voice.

Words: His broadcast began with “Comrades,…,” followed by the announcement that Yuri Gagarin has become the first human to fly into space.

Short biography of Yuri Levitan:

Born: 1914 in Vladimir, Russia.

Known as: The voice of the Soviet Union, as he read all major war bulletins and Stalin’s speeches during World War II.

Significance: Levitan was regarded as the most trustworthy announcer of the USSR — his voice was unmistakable and became associated with important historical moments.

Died: 1983 in Moscow.

The photograph captures a key moment in world history, when Levitan, with his iconic voice, carried the news of Gagarin’s space flight to the world — a symbol of the triumph of Soviet space exploration.