Space History Photo: Yuri Gagarin Meets Gemini 4 Astronauts

The first meeting between Gagarin and the Gemini 4 astronauts. CREDIT: NASA View full size image

In this historical photo from the U.S. space agency, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space, shakes hand with NASA's Gemini 4 astronauts, Edward H. White II and James A. McDivitt at the Paris International Air Show on June 19, 1965. Gagarin was a character. Just moments before his historic flight on April 12, 1961, he joked about having enough sausages and moonshine to make the trip home to Moscow after landing. [Infographic: How the First Human Spaceflight Worked]

This first meeting between Gagarin and the Gemini 4 astronauts occurred shortly after the completion of the Gemini 4 mission, where White performed the first American spacewalk. Also shown in the picture (seated) are Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey and (standing) French Premier Georges Pompidou. 

Each weekday, SPACE.com looks back at the history of spaceflight through photos (archive).