The name Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one that will forever be etched in history as heroic. He was clergy who used his position to fight for the liberation of blacks, justice, and equity through the use of nonviolent methods. He was born on January 15, 1929, and continued his quest for equity for the black race until he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.
Though we all recognize Dr. King as a voice of liberation, he had many sides to him, most of which were not so public. His birthday, January 15, continues to be celebrated as Martin Luther King Day in all the states of the US.
In memory of the black legend, let us go through a few facts about him you probably never knew.
Dr. King was a smoker, however, he hid this habit to avoid controversy as a Christian leader. In fact, it was said that he was smoking on his balcony in Tennessee when he was assassinated.
Dr. King was christened Michael, just like his father, at birth. After a trip to Germany, his father changed both their names to Martin being much inspired by the famous Protestant leader, Martin Luther.
Dr. King was the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize till 2011. He won the prize in 1964 at the age of 35 and donated all the prize money, totaling $54,123, to the civil rights movement.
The first Martin Luther King Jr. speech to be published was one he gave when he was 15 years old. The speech was titled “the Negro and the constitution.”
Dr. King co-pastored the Ebenezer Baptist Church alongside his father in Atlanta. Prior to this, he had served as a minister of Dexter Avenue Church, Montgomery. He was ordained at the young age of 19 and served in Montgomery till 1954.
Dr. King was inspired to use the nonviolence tactics after hearing about Mahatma Gandhi from Dr. Mordecai Johnson in a sermon he delivered after his return from India.
The popular “I have a dream speech” delivered on August 28, 1963, was delivered off the cuff. It was not written by his speechwriter, lawyer, and confidant, Clarence B. Jones.
Dr. King and his wife spent their honeymoon at a friend’s funeral parlor. At the time that was the most decent option as the segregation of blacks prevented them from getting a hotel.
Dr. King is still the only Non-POTUS to have a national day in his honor. He is also the third individual to have a National holiday after Presidents Christopher Columbus and George Washington.
All through his life, Dr. King was arrested 30 times, charged with all sorts of offenses including civil disobedience and over speeding.