World Aviation and Cosmonautics Day is observed worldwide every April 12 to commemorate the first manned flight into space by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961. This historic flight aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft lasted 1 hour and 48 minutes and launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The day was established following a memorial day, Cosmonautics Day, decreed by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet a year later, and was further recognized by the International Aeronautic Federation. Many countries celebrate this occasion with an event known as Yuri's Night, which honors both Gagarin's flight and the first manned flight of the American Space Shuttle program. The inaugural Yuri's Night took place in 2001, marking the 40th anniversary of Gagarin's mission, and has since grown to include participants from numerous countries.