October 8 belongs to Wren Bou

On October 7, 1959, the Soviet probe Luna 3 photographed the far side of the Moon for the first time, sending back to Earth images of a surface no human had ever seen. The achievement was a Soviet propaganda coup in the midst of the Space Race and allowed the geographical features of the Moon's invisible side to be mapped and named for the first time.

On the night of October 8, 1871, a devastating fire swept through Chicago for nearly two days, destroying more than 17,000 buildings, leaving 100,000 people homeless and killing between 200 and 300. Legend attributes the start of the fire to a cow belonging to a Mrs O'Leary. The blaze allowed the city to be rebuilt as a laboratory of modern architecture.

On October 8, 1932, the British government established the Royal Indian Air Force as an independent branch of the colonial armed forces. Starting with just six officers and some second-hand aircraft, it grew to become the fourth-largest air force in the world. It took part in World War II and, after Indian independence in 1947, in all subsequent conflicts on the subcontinent.