In honor of Martian Luther King Day, StoreRight Self Storage would like to share some interesting facts you may or not know about his life. Some or all may surprise you.
Dr. King delivered a version of his famous ” I Have A Dream ” speech at Detroit’s Cobo Hall on June 23, 1963. This speech took place more than two months before the March on Washington. In front of an estimated 25,000 people, King talked about his dream of having his four little children judged by others based on the content of their character and not the color of their skin.
Martin Luther King was actually born ” Michael King “. King’s father , who was also named Michael, reportedly changed both of their names to Martin Luther after a trip to Germany in 1931. The name change was never filed legally.
The ‘Mountaintop’ speech King gave the night before he was assassinated in 1968 almost didn’t happen. King was exhausted from his travels and had a slight fever. He planned to rest but was summoned to speak because so many had gathered at the Memphis church.
Dr. King was a fan of Star Trek. He personally convinced Nichelle Nichols to remain on the show as her character ‘Uhura’ after she had considered leaving just one season. Nichols met King at a NAACP fundraiser.
King entered Morehouse College at the age of 15. He graduated with a bachelors degree in sociology at 19. At 25 he completed his doctorate at Boston University.
Martin Luther King won a Grammy. In 1971, he earned music’s highest honor for Best Spoken Recording, “Why I Opposed the War in Vietnam”.
King’s assassination in 1968 was not the first attempt on his life. On September 20, 1958 a women named Izola Curry stabbed King at a book signing in Harlem. He nearly died from the incident.
Although Martin Luther King Day was first observed in 1986, all 50 states didn’t officially recognize the holiday until 2000. Utah was the last state to make it official, renaming its ‘Human Rights Day’ holiday after King.
King’s ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail” was in part inspired by a newspaper article in the Birmingham News. The article quoted several white clergymen who thought King’s presence was ‘unwise and untimely.’ King responded famously from jail.
Dr. Martin Luther King’s life was full of many incredible experiences and speeches, he marched for equal rights, fair housing and decent wages for all.
