The main Soviet events of 1961 were described in LIFE magazine.

State farm Lubenets, 9 February 1961.

State farm school.

A woman working for the state farm.

A woman in a greenhouse.

Living houses of a state farm.

Labor lessons in a state farm.

Growing cucumbers.

Weighing pigs.

March 1961, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, animals participating in space experiments.

Scientist Alexander Topchiev at the presentation of Soviet animals who fly to the space.

April 1961, the students are against American invasion to Cuba fighting militia next to the Embassy of the USA.

Shame on aggressors!

April 1961. Visit of prince of Laos Souvanna Phouma who visited the USSR, China, India, France, the United Arab Republic to gain their support in the fight against the USA. He wanted his country to be free from the influence of foreigners as the internal problems could be settled by native people of the country.

Souvanna Phouma in Moscow.

The crowd of people in the airport is greeting the prince.

April 1961. Director of watch-producing company Nikolay Volkhov gets Lenin award for creation and implementation of automatic equipment for watch production.

12 April 1961. The Russians in the space.

The Il-18 is taking Gagarin to Moscow.

Y.Gagarin.

Celebration of the first flight into the space.

Nikita Khrushchev and Yuri Gagarin.

People are celebrating the first flight into the space.

Glory to the first!

All to space!

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