On this day in 1943, University of Michigan football star Tom Harmon survived a dogfight over Japanese-occupied China during WWII, earning the Purple Heart and Silver Star. In 1956, 52 boys at Romeo Community High School were told to trim their Elvis-style sideburns or leave school. All complied after barbers offered free haircuts.
TRANSCRIPT
This day in 1943, University of Michigan football star Tom Harmon was nearly shot down by a half dozen Japanese Zeros. It happened during a dogfight over the skies of Japanese-occupied China during World War II. He was forced to bail out of his plane and was later rescued by anti-Japanese Chinese guerillas. Harmon was awarded the Purple Heart and Silver Star for his actions with the 449th Fighter Squadron.
And in 1956. 52 boys at Romeo Community High School in Macomb County were told to either trim their Elvis Presley hairstyles or leave school. Teachers complained that the students’ sideburns and ducktails spawned defiant behavior. Barbers offered free haircuts to boys who couldn’t afford them and all 52 boys complied with the deadline.