April 12 & space history

 April 12, 1981 - Space shuttle Columbia lifts off from KSC for a 54.5 hour trip that has it orbiting the Earth 37 times. It was the first shuttle mission: STS 1.

April 12, 1961 - Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin is the first man to fly in space during a 108 minute flight. Back then the space program was considered "the race for space". Russia won.
April 12, 2011 - Is it simply coincidence that April 12 is the day NASA announces where the retired shuttles will go? Me thinks not.