1966. The year the “sphynx” was born

With its furless, wrinkled skin and massive ears, the “sphynx” is considered by some to be the world's ugliest cat; but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the sphynx's popularity is undeniable. The breed first came to life when Riyadh Bawa, a student at the University of Toronto in the 1960s, bred a hairless kitten named Prune with his mother—yes, his mother!—Elizabeth, a cat covered in a fine duvet of black and white fur. Though this genetic line died out (perhaps fortunately), the sphynx cats that are available today—for the princely sum of up to $2,000—are the fruit of other breeding initiatives in Toronto and Minnesota. (Pawsie)