Michael Jackson, `Thriller' moonwalked to top of the charts 20 years ago.(The Gazette)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. _ Autumn 1983 was a season of big events: Terrorists killed 241 U.S. Marines in Beirut, and the United States invaded Grenada.

That fall, politicians and newscasters put on their frowns and shook their heads.

Meanwhile, the rest of the country moonwalked.

Fall 1983 was the apex of a phenomenon that began Dec. 1, 1982, when Epic Records released an album that inspired the country to attempt that strange backward shuffle-drag step.

So many people were moonwalking then, trying to be like Michael Jackson.

At that time, Michael Jackson was probably the coolest person in America and on his way to making history with an album called "Thriller."

Released 20 years ago on Sunday, "Thriller" became the biggest-selling album of all time, with about 46.7 million sold worldwide, 26 million of those in the United States.