A defining moment in the space race was commemorated yesterday at one of Scotland's most famous historic sites.
A special stone, marking the anniversary of Russia first sending a man into space, was unveiled at the Skara Brae prehistoric village on Orkney. The neolithic site there has a timeline marking some of the most important events in history. Yesterday a new stone was put on that timeline, inscribed "1961, First Man In Space".
The idea for the stone came from Alexander Korobko, a Russian who visited Orkney in 2006 after tracing his family roots to the Scottish islands. Both he and the Russian cosmonaut Georgi Mikhailovich Grechko were at Skara Brae for the unveiling.
The timeline includes stones marking events such as the construction of the Great Pyramids in 2500 BC, the American declaration of independence in 1776 and the invention of the telephone in 1876.
Historic Scotland is charged with caring for Skara Brae and other historic sites. Doreen Grove, the agency's head of access and understanding, said the first space flight, completed by Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961, was a "defining moment in human history".
She added: "By sending the first man into space the Russians heralded the dawn of a new age and at Historic Scotland we are delighted to commemorate an event of such importance by including it in the Skara Brae timeline."
Korobko unveiled the stone, which was covered with a Russian flag and a Scottish Saltire, along with 11-year-old Orkney girl Laura Dalrymple.
Tatiana Danilova, trade marketing executive at VisitScotland for central and eastern Europe, said: "It is great that a moment of such significance in the history of Russia and all mankind is being recognised at Skara Brae."
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