Interesting and Surprising Facts about MLK
Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia.
MLK was an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
He led the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, the first large-scale protest against segregation in the US.
MLK delivered his iconic I Have a Dream speech during the March on Washington in 1963.
He was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of
6. MLK was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolent resistance.
He traveled over 6 million miles during his lifetime, advocating for civil rights and equality.
MLK authored five books and numerous articles advancing his vision of social justice.
He was a prolific writer and received an A in a university seminar on the philosophy of love.
MLK’s birth name was Michael King Jr., but his father changed both their names to Martin Luther after being inspired by the Protestant reformer.
He skipped two grades in high school and entered college at the age of
MLK graduated from Morehouse College with a degree in sociology.
He received his doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University.
MLK became the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, at the age of
He advocated for voting rights, leading the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.
MLK’s activism was deeply rooted in his Christian faith.
Interesting and Surprising Facts about MLK part 2
He organized the Poor People’s Campaign to address economic inequality before his assassination.
MLK was arrested more than 20 times for his nonviolent protests.
He delivered more than 2,500 speeches in his lifetime.
MLK’s favorite song was Lift Every Voice and Sing.
He was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963.
MLK’s birthday was first observed as a national holiday in 1986.
He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.
MLK’s statue became the first of an African American on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
He was survived by his wife, Coretta Scott King, and four children.
MLK was a fan of NBA basketball and cheered for the Boston Celtics.
He was offered admission to the University of California at Los Angeles at the age of 15 but chose to attend Morehouse College.
MLK was jailed for eight days in 1960 during the Atlanta sit-in movement.
He was influenced by Henry David Thoreau’s essay on civil disobedience.
MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is considered a pivotal text in the civil rights movement.
He led the Selma to Montgomery marches, resulting in the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
MLK’s childhood home in Atlanta is now a National Historic Site.
He gave his last speech titled I’ve Been to the Mountaintop the night before his assassination.
MLK had a phobia of riding elevators.
He received honorary degrees from more than 50 colleges and universities.
MLK’s I Have a Dream speech was ranked the top American speech of the 20th century by scholars.
He was named after his father, Martin Luther King Sr., who was also a pastor and civil rights leader.
MLK’s father was shot and killed in his church two years after the assassination of his son.
He organized the Chicago Freedom Movement to address racial inequality in the northern cities.
MLK’s childhood best friend was a white boy named Larry Hertzog.
He agreed to donate his $54,123 Nobel Peace Prize money to the civil rights movement.
MLK was distant cousins with professional basketball player Vince Carter.
He was instrumental in the founding of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957.
MLK’s efforts paved the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed segregation and discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
He remains an icon of the civil rights movement and a symbol of hope for equality and justice.