The Single Glove Debuts

In a 1983 television special commemorating the 25th anniversary of Motown, Jackson debuted the crystal-encrusted glove that would become his most recognizable wardrobe hallmark. It quickly became a sensation: so many kids wanted to imitate Jackson's style that by 1984 a New Jersey high school had banned students from wearing a single white glove. Over the years, the singer's gloves have routinely turned up on eBay, with one selling for $35,000 in 2006. By December 2008, as the King of Pop's financial problems mounted, he had announced plans to put the original "Billie Jean" glove on the block in a 2,000-item auction in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Jackson canceled the auction in April 2009.)

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