Date in year · 1951 · The 1950s

July 22, 1951

On July 22, 1951, soviet space dogs: Dezik and Tsygan were launched into a sub-orbital spaceflight from Kapustin Yar and became the first dogs to fly in space and the first to safely return. Jóannes Eidesgaard, Tony Danza, Michael Freedman would arrive in the same year.

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1951

1950s

Featured · July 22, 1951

Soviet space dogs: Dezik and Tsygan were launched into a sub-orbital spaceflight from Kapustin Yar and became the first dogs to fly in space and the first to safely return.

During the 1950s and 1960s the Soviet space program used dogs for sub-orbital and orbital space flights as proof-of-concept to determine whether human spaceflight was feasible. The Soviet space program typically used female dogs due to their anatomical compatibility with the spacesuit. Similarly, they used mix-breed dogs due to their apparent hardiness.

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Around 1951

The year in brief

1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1951st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 951st year of the 2nd millennium, the 51st year of the 20th century, and the 2nd year of the 1950s decade.

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What happened

On July 22, 1951

  1. 1951 Soviet space dogs: Dezik and Tsygan were launched into a sub-orbital spaceflight from Kapustin Yar and became the first dogs to fly in space and the first to safely return.

    Soviet-era program that sent dogs to space

    During the 1950s and 1960s the Soviet space program used dogs for sub-orbital and orbital space flights as proof-of-concept to determine whether human spaceflight was feasible. The Soviet space program typically used female dogs due to their anatomical compatibility with the spacesuit. Similarly, they used mix-breed dogs due to their apparent hardiness.

Elsewhere that year

Other moments from 1951

The class of 1951

Others born in 1951

Jóannes Eidesgaard 1951– Faroese educator and politician, Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands
Tony Danza 1951– American actor and producer
Michael Freedman 1951– American mathematician and academic
Bob Varsha 1951– American sportscaster
Steve Vickers 1951– Canadian ice hockey player
Soledad Gallego-Díaz 1951– Spanish journalist (died 2026)

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