Last week we saw that the Salyut space missions, launched by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and early 1980s were greatly successful. With no opponent in sight, it seemed as if the space race was a game with only one competitor. But the cost of each mission made the Soviets look for alternative projects.

Mir (1986-2001) was a space station that during the 1980s became a symbol of the Soviet space talent. Later, until it was destroyed in 2001, it became a Russian research center that united countries around the world, including the greatest enemy of the USSR during the Cold War, the United States.

What are we doing talking about a 100% American brand like Pepsi in a blog about Russian history and culture? We are going to discover one of those stories that seem to be taken from a spy movie. Chance and opportunity wanted that Pepsi became the first Western product in the USSR… and the owner of part of the Soviet war fleet.

We all know that there’s a never-ending debate about who completed the most important achievements in space exploration: the Soviet Union or the USA? Americans sent the first man to the Moon, Russians sent the first man and woman to space. But before that, before humans were on the front page of magazines and newspapers all around the world, there were other Russian creatures flying into space. And they weren’t humans.

Everyone knows that on April 12, 1961 Yuri Gagarin, aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft made the first manned space flight in history. But let’s remember some less known facts, but very interesting, about the trip.

The second week of January is written by two of the most prominent figures in Russian history: on the one hand, the first revolutionary in history, considered a hero by the communist government. On the other hand, an admiral and explorer whose government called him a traitor. In addition, we will read about the creation of the province of Moscow, the first change of calendar in Russia, and the first tsar in history. And finally, the story of the relics from one of the most venerated saints in the Russian Orthodox Church.

In the first part of this article, we discovered that Arzamas-16 was a Soviet city that for years could not be found on any map. Its origin lies in the need to create a nuclear bomb to balance forces against the US. The Soviet Union considered that a secret city would be the best defense against American spies. And maybe they were right.

Behind the curious name of Arzamas-16 an incredible story hides. Arzamas-16 was the codename of a Russian city (today called Sarov) then in the 1940s ceased to exist, at least officially. The Soviet government removed it from all maps, and its name disappeared from every document. This happened in 1946, when it became the Russian research centre to develop a nuclear bomb to compete against the Americans.