The painted faces, the extraordinary costumes and a song called Memory that seemed to be everywhere.
On October 7, 1982, Cats opened on Broadway.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical was based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, a collection of poems first published in 1939.
It was an unlikely recipe for a theatrical phenomenon.
The show followed the Jellicle cats gathering for their annual ball, introducing audiences to characters including Old Deuteronomy, Rum Tum Tugger, Mr Mistoffelees and Grizabella.
And then came Memory.
The haunting song sung by Grizabella became Cats’ defining number and one of the best-known songs in modern musical theatre.
The Broadway production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on October 7, 1982, and stayed there for almost 18 years.
By the time the curtain finally came down in September 2000, Cats had played 7,485 performances.
On October 7, 1959, humanity got its first look at the far side of the Moon.
The Soviet spacecraft Luna 3 photographed terrain that could never be seen from Earth, revealing a lunar landscape noticeably different from the familiar side.
The photographs were grainy, but they gave scientists their first chance to begin mapping this previously unseen world.
Less than a decade later, humans would be heading there themselves.
On October 7, 1985, four Palestinian militants hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in the Mediterranean.
Hundreds of passengers and crew were caught up in the ordeal, which became international news.
American passenger Leon Klinghoffer, 69, was murdered during the hijacking. The crisis ended two days later after negotiations secured the release of the remaining hostages.
Here’s a birthday that should bring back a few memories.
John Mellencamp turns 75 today.
Born on October 7, 1951, Mellencamp gave us Jack & Diane, Hurts So Good, Pink Houses, Small Town and Cherry Bomb.
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma turns 71, while singer Toni Braxton turns 59 today.
Do you remember?
Did you ever see Cats on stage? And does hearing Memory still take you straight back?
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