Russian Language Exported: COSMONAUT
On April 12, 1961, the whole world heard this word – and it forever linked Russia with space.
The word ‘cosmonaut’ had been used in science fiction even before the space age. But, it entered the world's languages after Yuri Gagarin’s flight on April 12, 1961. Today, the term ‘cosmonaut’ is used to describe space explorers in Russia, Germany (‘Kosmonaut’), France (‘cosmonaute’) and Italy (‘cosmonauta’), while the Americans and the British use the word ‘astronaut’.
