Seven Stunning Facts You May Not Know About Martin Luther King Jr
Hello hello! It's Alexis and although we know the basics about Martin Luther King Jr (I'm just going to call him MLK), a few facts have escaped our grasp. I'm here to share these things with you, in honor of his remembrance day today. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. day! (enjoy not having to go to school!)
MLK almost died a decade before his actual death.
When MLK was signing books in Blumstein's department store, he was approached by a woman named Izola Ware Curry. She asked him, "Are you Martin Luther King Jr?" He said yes, and she said, "I've been looking for you for six years," and stabbed him in the chest with a letter opener. Even though he was just assaulted, he remained calm and told people, "It'll be all right. It'll be okay." The surrounding crowd panicked and debated whether to pull it out or not. Thankfully, they didn't, because the letter opener had plunged right aside his areola. If it had been punctured, he would have died. He had to have extremely delicate surgery, and later, the doctors told him if he had even sneezed, the areola would have exploded and killed him immediately. He assured his family and friends that he continued his nonviolence ways and wished no harm against his attacker.
MLK went to college when he was only 15.
MLK was such a gifted student he skipped the ninth grade and twelfth grade. He enrolled at the Morehouse College, and even though his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were Baptist ministers, he didn't take on the job until the college president convinced him otherwise. MLK finished college with a degree in sociology and was ordained shortly after.
MLK went to jail almost thirty times.
He was arrested for a few legal reasons, like protesting, leading boycotts, and civil disobedience, but for many trumped-up reasons like driving thirty miles per hour in a twenty-five miles per hour zone.
This picture of MLK in jail was taken by someone who was also arrested with him, Wyatt Tee Walker. He unwrapped the camera taped to his leg and snapped a picture of MLK peering out of the bars of the jail. It soon became an iconic picture of him.
MLK's birth name was Michael, not Martin.
On January 15, 1929, MLK was born Michael King Junior, after his father. But his father, King Sr., traveled to Germany where he met a Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther. King Sr. was so inspired by his teachings that he changed his own name to Martin Luther King, as well as his five-year-old son.
He and George Washington are the only people to have a day named after them.
Today is MLK's remembrance day. In 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a form that created a holiday to remember MLK. George Washington's day is February 18.
MLK's mother was also killed by a bullet.
Alberta Williams King was slain during church while she was playing the organ. A man stood up in the front pew and started shooting randomly. A church deacon was also hit and killed. The killer shouted that Christians were his enemies and while he had divine instructions to kill MLK's father, he decided to kill his mother instead because she was closer. MLK's father was in the procession at the time.
MLK's last speech spoke of his death.
MLK's last speech, 'I've Been to the Mountaintop', without them knowing it, foretold his death. He made this speech the day before he was assassinated. Here's a clip from it.
I hope you enjoyed these facts! I know I was shocked by some of them. Bye!
-Alex
P.S: For a copy of MLK's 'I have a dream' speech, click here. ;)
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