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Here is the opening couple of paragraphs to my 2011 book, on the 50th anniversary of the first human spaceflight. Three months later Gagarin came to Manchester.
On the morning of April 12th 1961 two former construction workers, one a specialist in roof tiles and the other a qualified foundry worker, made history with the world’s first manned spaceflight to orbit the Earth. Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, the spacecraft’s chief designer, was born in 1906 amidst the perils of the Russian Revolution and civil war. Born in 1934, the world’s first cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin grew up in the shadow of the Second World War and the dangers of German occupation. Both went on to study in local vocational schools before turning to their passion for aviation.
Korolev first experienced the magic of aviation sitting on his grandfather’s shoulders, at a fairground show in the town of Zhitomyr in Ukraine1 in the summer of 1913. A biplane, piloted by an early famous aviator Sergei Utochkin, thrilled the crowd who had paid one rouble for the spectacle, as he took off, flew two km and landed again. By his early 20s, Korolev had designed, built and flown his own glider. He completed his pilot’s licence for gliders in 1923 and then his single engine Avro 504K biplane in the following year.2 Intriguingly, Alliot Verdon Roe who designed and built the Avro 504K, was born in Patriot and established factories in nearby Manchester. Around 9,000 Avro 504K were built between 1913 and 1932 in Manchester and under licence in several countries, so it is possible that Korolev’s Avro 504K (#353)3 was built in Manchester.
Who did he see, where did he go during the 5 days in London and Manchester? Here is the timeline for his 5 days in England.
Tuesday 11th July
10:30 Arrival at Heathrow [Guardian 11/7/1961]11:45 Soviet Embassy [Daily Worker 10/7/1961]13:00 Earl’s Court [Guardian 12/7/1961]15:00 Press conference in Fashion Hall Earl’s Court [Guardian 12/7/1961]16:15 BIS medal award at the end of the press conference [Flight 20/7/1961]16:30 Leave Earl’s Court [Guardian 12/7/1961]17:30 Evening reception at Soviet Embassy [Daily Worker 10/7/1961]
Wednesday 12th July
10:00 Arrival at airport [Manchester Evening News 11/07/1961]10:45 AUFW Medal Ceremony [Guardian 12/7/1961]11:35 Metropolitan-Vickers at Trafford Park [Manchester Evening News 11/7/1961]12:45 Manchester Town Hall [Manchester Evening News 11/7/1961]16:30 Manchester Airport
Thursday 13th July
11:00 Mansion House – Lord Mayor of London [Daily Worker 13/7/1961]11:45 Tower of London – Gv. Sir Thomas Butler [Daily Worker 13/7/1961]13:20 Burlington House – Royal Society
15:00 Return to USSR Embassy
15:45 Meet PM at Admiralty House [Prem 11-3543 12/07/1961 National Records Archive]16:15 Lays wreath at the cenotaph
16:30 Air Ministry in Whitehall – Secretary of State for Air
[Daily Worker 13/7/1961]18:00 Hyde Park Hotel GB USSR Association [Daily Worker 13/7/1961]19:30 Muscovites-Association cancelled. Sightseeing tour instead [Guardian 14/7/1961]22:15 Back at USSR Embassy [Daily Worker 13/7/1961]
Friday 14th July
12:50 Buckingham Palace [FO 371-159606 12/07/1961 National Records Archive]14:45 Soviet Embassy
15:30 Earl’s Court [Daily Worker 14/7/1961]16:00 Highgate Cemetery [Time is uncertain; The Times 15/7/1961 says “Evening”]16:40 Soviet Embassy – British Soviet Friendship Society [Daily Worker 14/7/1961]21:00 Earl’s Court Live BBC TV interview (at 21:30) from Earl’s Court with Richard Dimbleby, Tom Margerison, science editor of the Sunday Times, and Yuri Fokin of the Soviet Television Service [Daily Worker 14/7/1961]22:15 Soviet Embassy
Saturday 15th July
11:00 Leave Soviet Embassy for Airport [Daily Worker 15/07/61]11:45 Press conference at Airport
More about the book here.
As part of the WEA’s Festival of Ideas, I will be presenting a series of four two-hour online Zoom meetings (not webinars) with Q&A. The cost for each is £10.00 but depending on personal circumstances – free.
Exploring Mars: 09:45 – 11:45 22 Feb 2021
It’s getting busy on Mars. Currently, Mars has two spacecraft on the surface and another five in orbit from the USA, Europe and India. In February three more will arrive from the United Arab Emirates, USA and China. NASA will attempt to land its most advanced Martian rover called Perseverance on Thursday 18th February, and China will attempt to land its rover in May.
What have we learnt about the red planet’s surface, atmosphere and chemistry? Did Mars have life in the past? Is there life there now? What does the evidence show so far? The dream for humans going to Mars has been written about for centuries are we about to see it happening?
The Day the Cosmonaut came to Manchester 09:45 – 11:45 1 Mar 2021
Three months after the world’s first human in spaceflight, that human, USSR cosmonaut Major Yuri Gagarin, spent five days in Britain. Mostly in London but on 12 July 1961 he came to Manchester for the day. At the time, he was the only human to have orbited the Earth. Why did he come to London and Manchester? Where did he go and who did he meet and what was the impact of his visit between the East and West in the midst of the Cold War?
Based on my 2011 book – Yuri Gagarin in London and Manchester
The search for life beyond the Earth 09:45 – 11:45 8 Mar 2021
The search for life beyond the Earth has been a constant quest in human history. Developments in the 20th century in radio astronomy and space technology have sped up the search for life in the solar system and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). How is that search going? What is the latest progress and current status?
The rise, fall and rise again of the British Space Programme 09:45-11:45 15 Mar 2021
Did you know that Britain is the only country to have developed rockets, launched a satellite and then … pulled the plug on its space programme? That was in 1971 but now the space industry in Britain is thriving once more. This presentation is a look back at early space developments in Britain and why it is thriving again today.
C3844735 10:00 Tue July 28th Britain in Space. The story of Britain’s space programme. Single presentation. Online and Free register here.
C3844737 10:00 Thu July 30th. The Day the Cosmonaut came to Manchester. Single presentation. Free and online. Register here.
This presentation is based on my 2011 book – Yuri Gagarin in London and Manchester. It will cover
C3844797 11:00 Fri July 31st Covid-19 Facts and Fiction. Single presentation. Online and free. register here.
With support from Dr James Anson, a microbiologist and medical director at Liverpool Clinical laboratories, we explore the truth behind the globally popular myths listed on the World Health Organisation website.
C3844740 Staying Safe online. Starts Mon 3rd August. Introduction to key concepts and principles in information security for home computer users. Four weekly sessions. Register here
17:15 Aug 3rd Week1: Cyber Security concepts – an introduction
17:15 Aug 6th Week2: Common Cyber Attacks
17:15 Aug 10 Week3: Secure home working
17:15 Aug 13
Week4: Online Tools and resources
