On March 18, 1965, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first man to walk in space. The 30-year-old Russian floated outside the Voskhod 2 spacecraft for 12 minutes while connected to a 16ft tether.
Russia
Early Russian silent movies…
Early Russian silent movies often had two endings — a tragic one for the home market and a happy one for export. Conversely, foreign movies at the time often were made with a happy ending for the home audience and a tragic ending, specifically for Russia.
By tradition astronomers name lunar…
By tradition astronomers name lunar lava planes after states of mind, such as “Sea of Tranquility”. However when Soviets discovered a new mare, they named it Moscoviense, after Moscow. This caused strife among astronomers, until it was agreed that Moscow is, in fact, a state of mind.
A Latvian man evaded the Soviets…
A Latvian man evaded the Soviets in bunkers in the woods for the entirety of the 50 year Soviet occupation. He came put when the last Soviet troops left, age 70.
In the 1990s, a Russian mafia and Italian…
In the 1990s, a Russian mafia and Italian mafia organization participated in a literal money-laundering scheme, washing and bleaching the ink out of US$1 bills and reprinting them as $100s, for use in the post-Soviet bloc countries, where the bills might avoid detection as counterfeits.
1,418 entrance steps (one for each day…
1,418 entrance steps (one for each day the Soviet Union fought in the WWII) of the new 95m-tall “Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces” are forged from melted-down hardware seized from Nazi troops.
The unofficial Russian book….
The unofficial Russian book “The Last Ringbearer” describes The Lord of the Rings trilogy from Sauron’s point of view and portrays Mordor as the good guys.
The Russian Standard Bank was…
The Russian Standard Bank was founded by entrepreneur Roustam Tariko in the 90s to circumvent the advertisement ban of alcohol in Russia and promote his Vodka, the Russian Standard. Today, it is the largest consumer bank in Russia and Tariko is one of the most successful bankers in Europe.
Nicholas II, last Tzar of Russia…
Nicholas II, last Tzar of Russia, had a Japanese tattoo of a “dragon with a black body, yellow horns, a red belly and green paws.” He got it on a trip to Japan. Later he was attacked by “Sanzo, a former samurai who fought in the Satsuma Rebellion.” All this before the Russo-Japanese War.
The Russian Orthodox Church regularly…
The Russian Orthodox Church regularly blesses Russian Military Hardware, but has decided that it is inappropriate to bless weapons of mass destruction.