National Content: Poland
Man in space.
| Source | Trybuna Ludu, 14.04.1961 |
| Event referred to | Jury Gagarin: the first man in space |
| Technological characteristics | Type of file: text Extension: pdf Characteristics Dimension of the file: 505 kB Availability proposed: pdf document with zoom options |
| Description of the source | Kind of source: Newspaper article Origin of the source: Archive of the library of the University of Gdansk (PL) Language: polish Copyright issues: reproduction and pedagogical exploitation authorized in the framework of the MHM project |
| Contextualisation of the source | "Trybuna Ludu" ("People Tribune") was a leading newspaper of Poland and an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1948 and 1990. This paper was closed down in 1990. In 1961 Editor-in-chief: Leon Kasman. Front page of April 14th, 1961 - two days after the event. |
| Interpretation of the source | Article present the superiority of socialism system. Gagarin made a unimaginable hit. He is presented as a hero, but press underline that he is a typical member of socialistic society. Success of Soviet Union is undeniable and compliments are coming from all over the world. In article there is presented a kind of "socialistic dream" - how a simple man can turn into international hero. |
| Original Contents | Pierwszy lot cz³owieka w Kosmos pasjonuje wszystkich ludzi. Ca³e œwiat gratuluje nauce radzieckiej olbrzymiego sukcesu. Wystrzelenie w Zwi¹zku Radzieckim statku kosmicznego „Wostok” z pilotem – kosmonaut¹ mjr Gagarinem na pok³adzie i pomyœlne sprowadzenie go na ziemiê jest wydarzeniem pasjonuj¹cym ca³y œwiat. Z Moskwy nadchodz¹ dalsze informacje o szczegó³ach pierwszego lotu cz³owieka w kosmos. Uczeni ca³ego œwiata, ca³a prasa œwiatowa, ludzie ze wszystkich zak¹tków kuli ziemskiej gratuluj¹ nauce radzieckiej tego wspania³ego sukcesu. Cz³owiek w Kosmosie (korespondencja w³asna „Trybuna³ Ludu”) Moskwa, 13 IV, godz. 12.Noc w niczym nie os³abi³a tej gor¹cej atmosfery radoœci, atmosfery ludowego œwiêta, któr¹ wype³niony by³ zw³aszcza dzieñ wczorajszy. Cz³owiek w Kosmosie – oto jest temat wszystkich rozmów. Cz³owiek w Kosmosie – g³osz¹ napisy na ekranie telewizyjnym, pieœni w radiu, przemówienia na wiecach fabrycznych. Dziœ w godzinach rannych, miasto siê udekorowa³o – na spotkanie zapewne Jurija Gagarina. Trzeba siê go spodziewaæ w Moskwie – raczej jutro ni¿ dzisiaj. A tymczasem Jurij Gagarin zabra³ ju¿ kilkakrotnie g³os na ³amach prasy. Wczoraj udzieli³ on telefonicznego wywiadu z redaktorem naczelnym „Prawdy” i "Izwiestji". Opowiedzia³, ¿e czu³ siê bardzo dobrze w czasie lotu i ¿e aparatura pracowa³a bez zarzutu. „Widzia³em Ziemiê z takiej wysokoœci, z której nie widzia³ jej jeszcze nigdy ¿aden cz³owiek…”, „jest to pierwszy lot w Kosmos, ale jest on pocz¹tkiem wielu lotów. Jestem pewny, ¿e nast¹pi¹ po nim inne, ¿e niedaleki jest czas, kiedy zrealizujemy lot na Ksiê¿yc, na Marsa i w inne okolice ogromnej przestrzeni kosmicznej. Nast¹pi to najprawdopodobniej szybciej ni¿ myœlimy”. Gagarin wyst¹pi³ tak¿e na ³amach swego wojskowego pisma „Krasnej Zwiezdy”. Jest przecie¿ lotnikiem majorem. „Krasnaja Zwiezda” zamieœci³a jego facsimile, a tak¿e facsimile listu ¿ony do Gagarina. Powiedzia³em: major. Okazuje siê, ¿e Gagarin jest nim od wczoraj. Mianowicie w dniu wczorajszym Ministerstwo Obrony ZSRR wyda³o rozkaz, zgodnie z którym kosmonauta starszy lejtnant Gagarin Jurij, 12 kwietnia 1961 r. „wyrusza na statku- sputniku w przestrzeñ kosmiczna po to, a¿eby jako pierwszy utorowaæ drogê cz³owiekowi w Kosmos, dokonaæ bezprzyk³adnego czynu bohaterskiego i na wieczne czasy przysporzyæ chwa³y OjczyŸnie Radzieckiej. Rozkazem niniejszym starszemu lejtnantowi Jurijowi Gagarinowi przyznaje siê przedterminowo stopieñ majora”. Spo³eczeñstwo radzieckie dowiaduje siê coraz wiêcej o Gagarinie. Na ³amach wypowiedzia³ siê dziœ jego ojciec – stolarz ko³chozowy, zamieszka³y w obwodzie smoleñskim, siostra pielêgniarka, jego wychowawcy ze szko³y technikum w Saratowie. Prasa zdo³a³a ju¿ w ci¹gu wczorajszego dnia krok po kroku przejœæ wszystkie fazy jego ¿yciorysu. Prawda, jest to ¿yciorys pozornie niebogaty – Gagarin jest przecie¿ cz³owiekiem m³odym. Ale najbardziej uderzaj¹ce jest zarówno w twarzy Gagarina jak i w ¿yciorysie – w³aœnie typowoœæ, w³aœnie to, ¿e jest on jednym z setek tysiêcy. Pozwala to wierzyæ w to, ¿e bohaterów spotkamy na ulicy, ¿e imiê ich milion. Jako curiosum warto podaæ, ¿e na ³amach prasy zabrali ju¿ g³os Gagarinowie, ludzie o tym samym nazwisku z ca³ego ZSRR. Przecie¿ w samej Moskwie ju¿ zdo³ano naliczyæ ok. 1200 Gagarinów. W dniu wczorajszym, w godzinach wieczornych, telewizja dokonywa³a bezpoœredniego reporta¿u z Placu Czerwonego. Zabrali g³os przypadkowi ludzie. Serdecznie ubawi³a siê publicznoœæ, kiedy reporter telewizyjny wpad³ na pomys³ zapytania w kiosku informacyjnym o moskiewski adres Gagarina. Urzêdniczka z uœmiechem odmówi³a podania adresu, t³umacz¹c siê, ¿e ch³opaka zamêcz¹. A tymczasem po ró¿nych instytucjach radzieckich przede wszystkim do Komitetu dla Spraw Astronomii, Akademii Nauk nap³ywaj¹ dalsze proœby m³odych ludzi, którzy pragn¹ polecieæ w Kosmos. Niestety ¿aden z nich nie zostanie ju¿ pierwszym astronaut¹. Tym niemniej radzieccy towarzysze uwa¿aj¹, ¿e nap³yw listów wzroœnie w najbli¿szym czasie. Listy te s¹ czêsto wzruszaj¹ce. Tak np. student IV roku Uniwersytetu Odeskiego, Miko³aj Osowitny, zapewnia, ¿e „mo¿na liczyæ na niego”. Starszy lejtnant Micha³ Mielin pisze: „Byæ mo¿e, potrzebny jest cz³owiek o lepszym wykszta³ceniu i lepiej znaj¹cy aparaturê. Ale ja j¹ opanujê. Ukoñczy³em gimnazjum, mam nadziejê, ¿e dam sobie rade”. |
| Original Contents (English Translation) | The first flight of the man into space fascinates all people. All the world congratulates Soviet science on the giant success. Soviet Union’s launching of the Vostok spaceship with a pilot, cosmonaut Major Gagarin on board and his successful return is a thrilling event worldwide. Further information is coming from Moscow on details of the first flight of the man into space. Scientists from all over the world, all international press and people from all corners of the globe congratulate to the Soviet science on this splendid success. The man in space ( “Trybuna Ludu” (The People's Tribune) own correspondence) Moscow, April 13, 12:00. In no respect did night weaken this hot atmosphere of joy, an atmosphere of a folk holiday that yesterday overflowed with. The man in Space – this is a subject of all conversations. The man in Space – captions on television screen announce, as well as songs on the radio and speeches in factory rallies. Today in the morning hours, the city decorated itself – surely to meet Yuri Gagarin. He is bound to arrive in Moscow soon, though most likely tomorrow rather than today. Meanwhile, Yuri Gagarin has already spoken several times in press columns. Yesterday, he gave a telephone interview to the "Pravda" editor-in-chief. He said that he had felt very well during the flight and that the machinery worked beyond reproach. "I saw the Earth from such a height that no man had seen before. It is the first flight into space, but it is also the beginning of many flights to come. I am sure that more will follow, and that before long we will perform a flight to the moon, to Mars and into other regions of the enormous outer space. This will most certainly happen more quickly than we think". Gagarin has also appeared on columns of its own military periodical “Krasnaya Zvezda”. He is, after all, an airman major. "Krasnaya zvezda" published his facsimile, and also the facsimile of Gagarin's wife letter to him. I said: a major. It turns out that Gagarin has been one since yesterday. That is, yesterday the USSR Department of Defence issued a command, in compliance with which, on 12 April 1961, the older cosmonaut lieutenant Gagarin Yuri was to leave for outer space aboard the sputnik, in order to pioneer/pave the man's way into the Space, as the first one to execute the unprecedented feat and to increase glories of the Soviet Motherland for all times to come. With the order hereby, the senior lieutenant Yuri Gagarin is promoted early to the rank of major. The Soviet society finds out increasingly about Gagarin. Today, his father expressed his opinion on press columns – a kolkhoz joiner, living in Smolensk district, his sister a nurse, his educators from a technical school in Saratov. Yesterday, the press already managed to run through all phases of his biography step by step. Indeed, it is not a seemingly rich biography – Gagarin is after all a young man. But what is the most striking – about Gagarin's face and his biography alike – is the ordinariness, the fact that he is one out of hundreds of thousands. This allows one to believe that heroes are met on the street, that their name is million. As a curiosum, it is worth mentioning that other Gagarins spoke in columns of the press, people from all over the USSR sharing the same surname. After all, in Moscow alone, some 1200 Gagarins have already been reported. Yesterday, in the evening hours, television broadcast a first-hand report from the Red Square. Random people rose to speak. The public had a hearty laugh when a TV reporter hit on the idea of asking Gagarin's Moscow address at the information desk. The officer smilingly refused to give the address, explaining as she did, that "they would torment the boy". Meanwhile, across various Soviet institutions, particularly, to the Committee for the Matters of Astronomy of Academy of Science, further requests are flowing in from youths who wish to fly into space. Unfortunately, none of them will become the first astronaut. However, Soviet comrades believe that the abundance of letters will increase in the nearest future. These letters are often touching. For instance, a fourth-year student of the University of Odessa, Nikolay Osovitny, assures that "he can be relied upon". Senior lieutenant Michael Myelin writes: "Perhaps, a man of better learning is necessary, with better knowledge of the machinery. But I will master it. I finished grammar-school, I hope that I will cope". |