What was the first thing to go to space and return alive?

The first living things to go to space and return alive were fruit flies, in 1947. Later, the first monkey to reach space was Albert II, in 1949. Unfortunately, Albert II died during recovery, due to a parachute failure.

In 1960, the USSR launched Sputnik 5, carrying two dogs, Belka and Strelka. This was the first launch to carry animals into orbit and successfully return them alive. In fact, one of Strelka's pups, Pushinka, conceived and born after her return from space, was given to Caroline Kennedy by Nikita Kruschev in 1961.