LANSING, Mich. – Did you hear about the time hundreds of critters broke out of their crates and occupied an airport in Michigan?

Yes, that actually happened. Exactly 33 years ago on Friday, over 250 gerbils and hamsters entered the Capital Region International Airport in Lansing.

Remember: 1991 was a different time. It was the last year of the Cold War. The Internet was released outside of research and the first website was created. Nirvana released Nevermind. Dr. Jack Kevorkian was banned from assisting suicide, Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested, and Clarence Thomas was appointed a Supreme Court justice.

But most importantly: the hamsters and gerbils.

On August 23, 1991, hundreds of gerbils and hamsters shipped from Mississippi escaped from their crates and scattered throughout the Capital Region International Airport.

Have you seen Die Hard 2? I imagine it was exactly like that.

“We found them at the other end of the airport,” said Barbara McWilliams, an airport employee at the time. “Many people took them home as pets.”

By the end of the day, about half of the rodents had been caught, but the rest probably made it into hiding places.

Realistically, they are probably long gone today. Lansing Airport underwent extensive renovations over the next 10 years and I’m sure the remaining nests were either relocated or removed.

And although the life expectancy of these little pets is only a few years, I like to imagine that there is a whole community that still lives in secret at the airport.

Have you seen Terminal? I imagine it’s exactly like that.

This was originally published in ClickOnDetroits Morning Report Newsletter. You can get Metro Detroit news, headlines, in-depth information and more delivered to your inbox every morning.