October 8 is Indian Air Force Day, marking the force's founding in 1932 — this year its 94th anniversary, traditionally observed with a ceremonial parade and fly-past at Air Force Station Hindon near Delhi.
On this day
1871The Great Chicago Fire broke out, eventually destroying thousands of buildings and leaving more than 100,000 people homeless.From Harper's weekly, October 21, 1871, pages 984-5.; Image provided by Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
1912The First Balkan War began as Balkan League states attacked the Ottoman Empire, reshaping the map of southeastern Europe within months.Johan Braakensiek via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
1932IndiaThe Indian Air Force was founded as the Royal Indian Air Force, an auxiliary of Britain's Royal Air Force — it dropped the 'Royal' prefix after India became a republic in 1950.Royal Air Force official photographer via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Did you know
Goosebumps author R.L. Stine, born on October 8, 1943, has sold more than 400 million books worldwide.