Sanshiro Miyamoto

Made headlines in 1972 with the lengths that he went to in order to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a police officer. After he was turned down because, at 5'5", he was too short to meet the Detroit Police Department's height requirement, Miyamoto underwent a regiment which included sleeping in traction. He even had his wife hit him on the head with a two-by-four in the hopes the resulting lumps would reach the two inches that he needed to make the height requirement, but to no avail. The Detroit Police Department lowered its height requirement in 1974, but by then, Miyamoto was no longer interested. He launched a machinist business in 1993, having worked in the trade since his teens.