This Day in History March 9, 1961

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I found this little tidbit amazing today.  On this date in 1961, Soviet dog Chernushka (Blackie) was safely returned from space where he bravely orbited the earth with cosmonaut dummy Ivan Ivanovich, mice, and a guinea pig.  Sputnick-9 was the name of his space capsule, and he was one of many dogs that were launched into space before humans followed their lead.  

For more info:

http://www.spacetoday.org/Astronauts/Animals/Dogs.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_space_dogs#Chernushka

http://famousdaily.com/history/chernushka-first-dog-in-space.html