Little Known Facts About Martin Luther King, Jr.

Little Known Facts About Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 15, 2021 marks what would have been the 92nd birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. In honor of the civil rights hero and to celebrate Martin Luther King Day on Monday, January 18, here are some interesting facts about MLK.

1. King’s birth name was Michael, not Martin. The civil rights leader was born Michael King Jr. on January 15, 1929. In 1934, his father traveled to Germany and became inspired by the Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther. As a result, King Sr. changed his name as well as that of his 5-yearold son.

2. King skipped two grades in high school and started his college education at Morehouse College at the age of fifteen. After getting his degree in sociology from Morehouse, Martin earned a divinity degree from Crozer Seminary and then a doctorate degree in theology from Boston University.

3. Mohandas Gandhi was a major influence on King. While at Crozer Theological Seminary, Dr. King was introduced to the teachings of Gandhi. In an interview, King said he attended a lecture from the president of Howard University given in Philadelphia about Gandhi, and he became “deeply influenced” by the philosophy of nonviolence.

4. King was the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He received the prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence at the age of 35. 5.

5. Parts of his most famous “I have a Dream” specch were reportedly ad-libbed. During the 1963 March on Washington, King delivered a speech prepared by his speechwriter, Clarence Jones. He grew more passionate during the speech, and towards the end of the speech, he began to speak directly from his heart. According to PBS, those famous lines that everyone can quote (“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed…”) were improvised.

6. The civil rights leader was arrested 29 times and assaulted four times. King was seen as a threat to American security by police officials. He went to jail nearly 30 times, arrested for acts of ‘civil disobedience,’ including the time he was jailed in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1956 for driving five miles per hour over the speed limit. Paper trails from the FBI show that the agency made efforts to thwart King’s progress. After his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, the FBI intensified their investigation into King. His mother was also murdered by a gunman.

7. His mother was also murdered by a gunman. On June 30, 1974, Alberta Williams King was shot by a gunman who claimed that Christians were his enemy and that he received “divine instructions” to kill King’s 8. father. The shooting occurred at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Mrs. King was the organist. The shooter had planned to kill Martin Luther King Sr. His wife was closer to the gunman and was fatally wounded. The shooter was convicted, receiving the death penalty, which was later changed to life in prison.

8. King is the only non-president to have a national holiday in his name. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill that would establish a nationally observed holiday in remembrance of King. He is the only non-president to have received such an honor; the other American to have a holiday commemorated in his name is George Washington. The holiday was first celebrated in 1986 on the third Monday in January, close to MLK’s birthday on January 15. He is also the only non-president with a memorial located on the