On this day

15 October in history.

5 moments from 1783 to 2003: discovery, creativity and courage, each with a source to read more.

5 moments

Air India A350-941 VT-JRF Climbing Out Of Runway 31L At JFK

1932

Air India takes off as Tata Airlines. The airline that would become Air India, India's national carrier, began flying under the name Tata Airlines.

Wikipedia: Air India

Photo: Mark Bess / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

More from 15 October

  1. Portrait de Joseph de Montgolfier (1740-1810)

    1783

    People fly in a balloon for the first time

    The Montgolfier brothers' hot-air balloon carried a person up for the first time, with Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier on board.

    Wikipedia: Montgolfier brothersWikipedia: Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier

    Photo: Unidentified painter / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

  2. A man who needs no introduction. Always Great to see the one and only 99. Thanks for the visit, and I look forward to catching up soon!

    1989

    Wayne Gretzky becomes the NHL's top scorer

    Wayne Gretzky became the all-time leading points scorer in the National Hockey League.

    Wikipedia: Wayne GretzkyWikipedia: National Hockey League

    Photo: Andre Forget - Andrew Scheer / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

  3. Original Caption Released with Image : This is an artists concept of Cassini during the Saturn Orbit Insertion (SOI) maneuver, just after the main engine has begun firing. The spacecraft is moving out of the plane of the page and to the right (firing to reduce its spacecraft vel…

    1997

    Cassini sets off for Saturn

    The Cassini probe launched from Cape Canaveral on its long journey to Saturn.

    Wikipedia: Cassini–Huygens

    Photo: NASA/JPL / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

  4. Long March 2F Y5 lifts off.

    2003

    China's first crewed spaceflight lifts off

    China launched Shenzhou 5, its first space mission with a crew on board.

    Wikipedia: Shenzhou 5

    Photo: China News Service / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

Moments chosen for discovery, creativity and courage. Each one links to a source where you can read more; photos are credited to their owners.