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In our ongoing series, #WomenThatDid, ENTITY profiles inspirational and famous women in history whose impact on our world can still be felt today. If you have a suggestion for a historical powerhouse you would like to see featured, tweet us with the hashtag #WomenThatDid.
Name: Valentina Tereshkova
Lifetime: March 6, 1937 – Present
What She’s Known For: On June 16, 1963, Valentina Tereshkova made history when she was the first woman and civilian to be launched into space.
Why We Love Her: Tereshkova began her flying days when she trained as a skydiver. She decided to apply for the women’s space team, and was selected out of 400 applicants to go to space. Tereshkova spent three days aboard ‘Vostok 6’ and made 48 orbits of Earth during that time. In this single flight, she logged more flight time than the combined time of all American astronauts who had flown before that date. After the flight, she was named Hero of the Soviet Union and earned the United Nations Gold Medal of Peace.
According to History, she married fellow cosmonaut Andrian Nikolayev in 1963 “reportedly under pressure from Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, who saw a propaganda advantage in the pairing of the two single cosmonauts.” The couple had one child, Elena, and later separated. Unfortunately, Tereshkova would not return for another flight and it would be 19 years before another another woman, Sally Ride, went to space in 1983.
Fun Fact: In 2013, Tereshkova volunteered to be sent on a one-way trip to Mars if she ever had the opportunity.
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