Samantha Smith and Katya Lycheva - Child Ambassadors
March 7th, 2007
In 1982 Samantha Smith, a 10-year-old American fifth grader, wrote to Soviet leader Yuri Andropov to ask if he was going to wage a nuclear war against America. A few months later, she received a personal response from Andropov and was invited to visit the USSR. Her 1983 tour of the Soviet Union garnered extensive mass media attention in both countries. She visited Moscow, Leningrad and spent time with Soviet children in Artek. Speaking at a Moscow press conference, Smith declared that the Russians were “just like us”.
After her trip, Smith’s popularity grew in both countries and she became a political and peace activist. Samantha hosted several television shows and co-starred in an American sitcom. The Soviet Union even issued a commemorative stamp of Smith.
Samantha Smith died tragically in 1985 when her plane crashed in Maine.
As a result of Smith’s visit, Soviet schoolgirl Katya Lycheva was invited to tour the US in 1986. She spent time visiting cities across the United States, including New York, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C.. She even had the opportunity to meat President Ronald Reagan. Katya’s visit made headlines around the world. After her visit, Lycheva became quite famous in the USSR and went on to star in several Soviet films.
Link: Samantha Smith
Link: Samantha Smith at Wikipedia
Link: Children As The Peacemakers Foundation
On June 16, 1963 Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. She orbited the earth for almost 3 days, taking photographs and keeping a detailed flight log. She only flew into space once, and it would be 19 years before another woman flew as part of the Soviet space program.
One of the most famous, powerful and influential women from Russian history, Catherine II ruled Russia for 34 years (1762 - 1796). Here influence can still be seen in Russia today, especially in St. Petersburg. The city is full of monuments to the late Empress and various palaces and buildings built during her reign.