Yuri Gagarin from the Soviet Union was the first human in space. His vehicle, Vostok 1 circled Earth at a speed of 27,400 kilometers per hour with the flight lasting 108 minutes. Vostok's reentry was controlled by a computer. Unlike the early U.S. human spaceflight programs, Gagarin did not land inside a capsule. Instead, he ejected from the spacecraft and landed by parachute.

Source: NASA