Born on this day, Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova blasted into space in 1963, becoming the first woman to visit the cosmos. She orbited the earth 48 times and returned to eventually become a hero of the Soviet Union. #BecauseOfHerStory To learn more about the journey that led Tereshkova to space, visit the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution blog post here: https://s.si.edu/2EcshO0 | Smithsonian Channel

#OnThisDay 1963: Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to fly to space. Fourteen years later, she talked to the BBC about her experience as a cosmonaut. | BBC Archive