(born May 30, 1811, Sveaborg, Fin., Russian Empire—died May 26, 1848, St. Petersburg, Russia) Russian literary critic. Expelled from the University of Moscow in 1832, he worked as a journalist, making his reputation with critical articles that expounded nationalist doctrine. His argument that literature should express political and social ideas had a major impact on Soviet literary criticism, and he was often called the father of the Russian radical intelligentsia.

Learn more about Belinsky, Vissarion (Grigoryevich) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Nov. 28, 1829, Vykhvatinets, Podolia province, Russia—died Nov. 20, 1894, Peterhof) Russian composer and pianist. Touring as a piano virtuoso, he met Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt in Paris and Giacomo Meyerbeer in Berlin. After several years of study, in 1848 he settled in St. Petersburg, where in 1862 he founded the St. Petersburg Conservatory and thereafter devoted much energy to improving the quality of Russian musical education. His once popular compositions, including six symphonies, five piano concertos, and many chamber works and piano pieces (including “Melody in F”) have largely disappeared from the repertoire. His brother Nicolay (1835–81), also a famous pianist and teacher, founded the Moscow Conservatory in the 1860s.

Learn more about Rubinstein, Anton (Grigoryevich) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Jan. 27, 1891, Kiev, Ukr., Russian Empire—died Aug. 31, 1967, Moscow, Russian S.F.S.R., U.S.S.R.) Russian writer and journalist. Arrested as a youth for revolutionary activity, he moved to Paris. He worked as a war correspondent, then returned to write for Soviet newspapers. His first novel and best work was Julio Jurenito and His Disciples (1922). He soon embraced the Soviet regime, eventually becoming one of its most effective spokesmen in the West. The vehemently anti-Western The Fall of Paris (1941) was followed by The Storm (1946–47) and The Ninth Wave (1951–52). After Joseph Stalin's death, Ehrenburg's works, including The Thaw (1954) and his autobiography, People, Years, Life, 6 vol. (1960–66), turned critical of Stalin's heritage.

Learn more about Ehrenburg, Ilya (Grigoryevich) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Jan. 27, 1891, Kiev, Ukr., Russian Empire—died Aug. 31, 1967, Moscow, Russian S.F.S.R., U.S.S.R.) Russian writer and journalist. Arrested as a youth for revolutionary activity, he moved to Paris. He worked as a war correspondent, then returned to write for Soviet newspapers. His first novel and best work was Julio Jurenito and His Disciples (1922). He soon embraced the Soviet regime, eventually becoming one of its most effective spokesmen in the West. The vehemently anti-Western The Fall of Paris (1941) was followed by The Storm (1946–47) and The Ninth Wave (1951–52). After Joseph Stalin's death, Ehrenburg's works, including The Thaw (1954) and his autobiography, People, Years, Life, 6 vol. (1960–66), turned critical of Stalin's heritage.

Learn more about Ehrenburg, Ilya (Grigoryevich) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born May 30, 1811, Sveaborg, Fin., Russian Empire—died May 26, 1848, St. Petersburg, Russia) Russian literary critic. Expelled from the University of Moscow in 1832, he worked as a journalist, making his reputation with critical articles that expounded nationalist doctrine. His argument that literature should express political and social ideas had a major impact on Soviet literary criticism, and he was often called the father of the Russian radical intelligentsia.

Learn more about Belinsky, Vissarion (Grigoryevich) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Nov. 28, 1829, Vykhvatinets, Podolia province, Russia—died Nov. 20, 1894, Peterhof) Russian composer and pianist. Touring as a piano virtuoso, he met Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt in Paris and Giacomo Meyerbeer in Berlin. After several years of study, in 1848 he settled in St. Petersburg, where in 1862 he founded the St. Petersburg Conservatory and thereafter devoted much energy to improving the quality of Russian musical education. His once popular compositions, including six symphonies, five piano concertos, and many chamber works and piano pieces (including “Melody in F”) have largely disappeared from the repertoire. His brother Nicolay (1835–81), also a famous pianist and teacher, founded the Moscow Conservatory in the 1860s.

Learn more about Rubinstein, Anton (Grigoryevich) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov (Оле́г Григо́рьевич Мака́ров) (January 6, 1933 – May 28, 2003) was a Soviet cosmonaut.

Makarov was born in Udomlya, Tver Oblast, USSR. He graduated from Bauman Moscow Higher Technical School in 1957 and started working at the Special Design Bureau Number One (which is now RSC Energia) as an engineer, working on the Vostok spacecraft. In 1966, he was selected for cosmonaut training.

At first he did work on the Soviet lunar program and was training with Aleksei Leonov for a circumlunar flight. After the success of Apollo 8, however, the flight was cancelled.

His first spaceflight was Soyuz 12 in 1973, a test flight to check the changes made to the Soyuz spacecraft after the Soyuz 11 disaster. His second flight was the abortive Soyuz 18a that made an emergency landing in the Altay Mountains, 21 minutes after launch. With his third launch on Soyuz 27 he flew to space station Salyut 6 and landed five days later with the Soyuz 26 spacecraft. His last mission was Soyuz T-3, during which several repairs on Salyut 6 were done. He was also in backup crews for Soyuz 17 and Soyuz T-2. Altogether he spent 20 days, 17 hours, and 44 minutes in space.

After his final spaceflight he continued to work for Energia, both in the Mir space station program as well as the Energia-Buran development.

Among other decorations he received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union twice, and the Order of Lenin four times.

He died in Moscow, Russia, in 2003 from a heart attack.