On Dec. 7, 1941—less than a month before the game was set to kick off—the Japanese navy bombed Pearl Harbor, bringing the United States into World War II. Due to widespread fear regarding another attack on the West Coast by Japan, the federal government banned large gatherings in that region of the country, including the Rose Bowl and the accompanying Rose Parade. [More]
And now its parade has been led by someone who wants the government to confiscate American rifles from behind every blade of grass (unsubstantiated quote notwithstanding).
[Via Dan Gifford]