In 1831, while studying at West Point (the famed military academy in New York state), Edgar Allen Poe appeared for parade one day wearing "white belt and gloves, under arms" -- as required by official parade dress instructions.

For this "gross neglect of duty," he was shortly expelled. Why? Having taken the instructions literally, Poe had appeared with a rifle over his shoulder wearing a belt and gloves -- and nothing else.

[A silmilar tale is told of Jane Fonda at Vassar. Alas, both stories are probably apocryphal.]

[In November 1992, Andrew Martinez, a junior at the University of California at Berkeley, was suspended for attending class while sporting only a pair of sandals. An unrepentant Martinez, who had staged a "nude-in" with more than 20 other people in September 1992, was later expelled for his refusal to dress up. "I don't want to facilitate the power structure with my conformity," he told the Los Angeles Times.]