Cool Facts
Cool Facts About Martin Luther King
King's birth name was Michael, not Martin. King's father was so inspired by the German Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther, that he changed his as well as his son's name to Martin Luther.
When Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, at the age of 35, in 1964, at the time he was the youngest Peace Prize winner ever.
Martin Luther King Jr. went to college at the age of 15.
When King called for non-violent civil disobedience to protest racist policies across the south, King was arrested and jailed nearly 30 times – often on bogus charges.
Martin Luther King Jr. won a Grammy, for his speech on "Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam". He was awarded posthumously in 1971, in the category of Best-Spoken Word Recording.
He attended Boston University and graduated in 1955 with a doctorate in systematic theology.
Martin Luther King is was a great speaker, but he got a "C" grade in public speaking during his college.
King was virtually unknown when he was named as spokesman for the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955.
Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday held on the third Monday of January. It is a day to promote equal rights for all Americans, regardless of their background.
The "I Have A Dream" speech of Martin Luther King Jr. given on August 28th 1963, is one of the most influential speeches in the history of the world.
The Time Magazine named Martin Luther King, Jr., “Man of the Year” for 1963.
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at the age of 39.
His assassin, James Earl Ray, was sentenced 99 years in prison, on March 10th 1969.