The birth of commercial spaceflight
April 28, 2001
The birth of commercial spaceflight
Dennis Tito paid $20 million for a seat aboard a Russian Soyuz to the International Space Station (ISS). He became known as the world's first "space tourist" and his eight days in space, which began on April 28, 2001, opened the door to other space enthusiasts.
http://www.space.com/11492-space-tourism-pioneer-dennis-tito.html