Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968), was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first person to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on 12 April 1961. He did not hold the military rank of captain for even a single day.

Initially no one planned a grand celebration to honour Gagarin in Moscow. However, after a successful flight and a safe return to Earth, a celebration was decided at the last moment. Nikita Khrushchev, according to his son Sergei Khrushchev said, "He's your senior lieutenant. We must urgently raise his rank. " Malinovsky quite reluctantly, suggested that they give Gagarin the title of captain. To which Nikita Sergeyevich got angry: "What captain? You give him a major. " Malinovsky did not agree for a long time, but Khrushchev insisted, and on that very same day Gagarin became a major. " Then Khrushchev called the Kremlin and demanded that Gagarin be honoured in a special celebration.

The order for conferring this extraordinary title was prepared before Gagarin landed, but he learned that he had become a major, only after landing. In all TASS reports on April 12, Gagarin was already being referred to as "Major Yuri Gagarin", without ever being a captain.

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