The Aviator 253-279
An accomplished Symbolist poet and playwright. He was born in St. Petersburg in 1880. One of his more successful pieces is the Verses about the Beautiful Lady (1904).
pg. 257 — Kremlin
The palace in Moscow that has housed the heads of state for some time. It was used for this purpose for the Tsar, the head of the Soviet regime, and is now home to Vladimir Putin.
pg. 258 — Yuri Gagarin
The first man and citizen of the Soviet Union in space. He completed Earth orbit in 1961, which was a huge milestone in the space race.
pg. 269 — Yelagin Island
An island at the mouth of the Neva River in St. Petersburg. It is home to almost nothing but Yelagin Palace.
pg. 273 — Yusupov Palace
The Yusupov (or Moika) Palace was once the home of the head of the House of Yusupov in St. Petersburg. Interestingly, it is the site of Grigori Rasputin's murder.
pg. 279 — Michaelangelo's Dying Slave
Created between 1513 and 1516, Dying Slave is one of two statues meant to stand outside the tomb of Pope Julius II but is held at the Louvre. Art historian Richard Fly says it "suggests that moment when life capitulates before the relentless force of dead matter."
pg. 279 — White Sea-Baltic Canal
One of many Soviet Great Construction Projects that were built under Stalin it was originally named the Stalin White Sea-Baltic Canal. It connects the White Sea with the Baltic Sea via Lake Onega.
