Dr. Martin Luther King., a key figure in the civil rights movement, devoted his life to advocating for racial harmony and the achievement of the American dream for all individuals.
As the United States unites to celebrate his life and legacy on Monday, January 15, 2024, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we have compiled several lesser-known facts about the man whose unwavering dedication to justice and equality shaped the course of American history.
He was the first Black person to be named TIME Man of the Year
During the year 1963, TIME recognized King as the “Man of the Year,” making him the first Black individual to receive this honor. According to TIME’s article, “Few can elucidate the extraordinary King mystique. Yet he possesses an indescribable capacity for empathy that is the touchstone of leadership. Through his actions and preaching, he has inspired in his people a Christian patience that nurtures hope and extinguishes injustice.”
Martin Luther King Jr. improvised part of his ‘I have a dream’ speech
While delivering his iconic “I have a dream” speech at the March on Washington in 1963, King almost excluded those powerful words. His advisors believed that he had used the theme excessively in his speeches, leading him to prepare a different one titled “Normalcy Never Again” for the occasion.
However, when King addressed the crowd of nearly 250,000 people in Washington, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson called out to him: “Tell ’em about the dream, Martin.”
He paused and ultimately decided to discard his prepared notes and spontaneously improvised the subsequent section of his speech. It famously begins with the words: “So even though we confront the challenges of today and tomorrow, I still maintain a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
An assassination attempt affirmed his faith in nonviolence
Ten years before his death, King narrowly escaped an assassination attempt while autographing copies of his memoir, “Stride Toward Freedom,” about the year-long Montgomery Bus Boycott, in Harlem. A 42-year-old Black woman named Izola Ware Curry approached him and forcefully plunged a seven-inch ivory-handled steel letter opener into his chest, breaking the handle. Allegedly, she shouted, “I’ve been after him for six years. I’m glad I done it!” The blade stopped just beside his heart, and doctors informed him that had he sneezed, he would not have survived.
Following the incident, King stated that he held no hostility towards the woman and did not wish to press charges, thereby reiterating his dedication to nonviolence. Curry was committed to a mental institution and passed away in 2015.
King is the only non-President whose birthday is a national holiday
Efforts to establish a federal holiday in honor of King commenced only four days after his assassination on April 4, 1968. Despite the national significance of King’s death, legislation proposing a holiday in his honor encountered years of stagnation.
For 15 years, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Rep. Shirley A. Chisholm (D-N.Y.) attempted to pass a bill designating a national holiday commemorating King’s birthday. The bill finally received a vote in the House in 1979 but was rejected by a margin of five votes, despite President Jimmy Carter’s endorsement. Congressman Gene Taylor (R-Mo.) led the opposition, citing the additional cost of a federal holiday. Taylor remarked, “I do not believe our current economic situation permits us the luxury of another $212 million Federal holiday.”
Public support for the bill grew after Motown singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder released the song “Happy Birthday,” which paid tribute to King and lent momentum to the campaign for his birthday to become a federal holiday. The legislation was signed into law in 1983, 15 years after his passing, by President Ronald Reagan.
It was not until 2000 that MLK Day was officially observed in all 50 states simultaneously.
King started college at 15
King skipped grades 9-12 and was admitted to Morehouse College, a prestigious historically Black college in Atlanta, at the age of 15. Both his father and maternal grandfather also attended Morehouse College, which had roots in the lineages of Baptist ministers.
Despite being part of a family of Baptist ministers, King initially resisted pursuing a career in the ministry due to his discomfort with the fervor displayed by Black church attendees. However, Morehouse College President Benjamin E. Mays and his philosophy professor George D. Kelsey, both ordained ministers, persuaded him to reconsider. King became an ordained minister in his father’s church while still an undergraduate student. Later, he pursued religious and philosophy studies at Crozer Theological Seminary and the University of Pennsylvania, both integrated institutions. During this period, King embraced the concept of nonviolent resistance as a constructive force for societal transformation, influenced by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.
The King family paid hospital expenses for Julia Roberts’ birth
Actress Julia Roberts revealed that the King family covered her parents’ hospital bills when she was born in 1967. In a 2022 interview aired on the History Channel, she disclosed, “My parents were unable to afford the hospital expenses.”
Roberts explained that her parents owned a theater school in Atlanta, and Coretta Scott King approached them, inquiring if her children could enroll. Roberts said, “They were struggling to find a place that would accept her kids, and my mom was like, ‘Sure, come on over.'” She added, “So they all became friends, and they helped us during a difficult time.”
King was arrested 30 times
Like many civil rights activists of that era, King encountered numerous arrests, often on fabricated charges, as part of a systematic effort by law enforcement to harass and intimidate activists. According to the King Center, he was arrested a total of 30 times, primarily for acts of civil disobedience, such as participating in sit-ins at an Atlanta department store or protesting without a permit. Some arrests resulted from baseless accusations, including his detainment in Montgomery, Alabama, for driving 30 miles per hour in a 25-mile-per-hour zone.
His family believes James Earl Ray was framed for his assassination
Despite consistent assertions by the federal government that James Earl Ray was responsible for King’s assassination, doubts persist within his family that Ray was innocent and framed to shoulder the blame.
In 1999, the King family filed a civil suit against the U.S. government to shed more light on the assassination. A Memphis jury concluded that King’s death resulted from a conspiracy and rejected the claim that he was killed by a lone gunman. The jury reached a verdict stating that James Earl Ray was not the shooter and was, in fact, set up as a scapegoat. The jury held local, state, and federal authorities responsible for King’s death.
After the verdict, Coretta King remarked, “Abundant evidence exists of a major, high-level conspiracy in my husband’s assassination.” She added that the ruling demonstrated that the mafia and various government agencies “were deeply involved in the assassination…Mr. Ray was framed to take the blame.” The King family received $100 in damages, which they chose to donate to charity. Their objective in seeking such a modest amount was to pursue the truth rather than monetary gain.
He was the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
At the age of 35, King became the youngest individual to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was acknowledged for his unwavering commitment to nonviolent opposition against racial oppression. This recognition came following an extraordinary year in which he spearheaded the March on Washington, delivered his renowned “I Have a Dream” speech, contributed to the ratification of the 24th Amendment abolishing the poll tax, and played a significant role in the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited racial discrimination in education and employment.
Reportedly, King donated the prize money of $53,123 to support the civil rights movement.
He was named after Protestant reformer Martin Luther
Born on January 15, 1929, as Michael King Jr., King’s name underwent a transformation in 1934. His father, a pastor at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, embarked on a religious journey around the world and found inspiration in the legacy of Germany’s Protestant Reformation leader, Martin Luther. Impressed by Luther’s advocacy and teachings that challenged the Catholic Church, King’s father decided to change both his and his son’s names in honor of the influential reformer. The official revision of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth certificate took place on July 23, 1957.
