I had a great English teacher in High school, he was the first one to tell me this story. I think it's truly touching. Being the guest of the English Queen in 1961, Yuri Gagarin, the first man in history who went into outer space, Soviet cosmonaut and pilot, was invited to have lunch with the Queen Elizabeth II and many other very important people . He was served tea with lemon (must have been gesture of respect, as Russians often have their tea with lemon, and not milk, like British do). After he had his tea, Gagarin took the lemon out and ate it. This was not exactly per the Protocol to say the least, and quite shocking to everyone. But the wise Queen pulled lemon out of her tea cup and did the same! Other guests immediately followed her example, and the awkward moment was resolved, made into a legendary story.
This is not the only touching story about Gagarin meeting the Queen.
I can continue if it is of any interest to anybody. On April 12 we celebrate the space day, the cosmonautics day.
Photo: Rex Features
