Honoring the Life and Work of Martin Luther King Jr.

Most admired for his “I have a dream…” address, Martin Luther King Jr. was a prominent Baptist minister and civil-rights activist who left a lasting impression on the nation’s dealings with race. He had an important role to play in the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and we decided to honor his memory with some interesting facts from his revered life.

• President Ronald Regan signed a bill to create a federal holiday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.; the holiday is celebrated on the third Monday of January, which falls around King Jr.’s birthday of January 15^th. The holiday was first observed in 1986.
• King Jr.’s birth name was not Martin, he was christened Michael King Jr. His name was changed to Martin because his father was inspired by a Protestant Reformation leader, Martin Luther.
• King Jr. was a brilliant boy and had the privilege of skipping two grades in high school to enter college at the age of 15.
• Even though he had no intention of following his father, grandfather and great grandfather to become Baptist ministers, a famous theologian convinced him to do so. He was ordained before his graduation.
• Though King is known today for his powerful oration and his enlightening and empowering speeches, he got a C in public speaking during his first year at the seminary.  He received straight As by his final year.
• His first public address was during the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom on May 17^th, 1957 where he spoke about voting rights before a crowd of 15,000-30,000.
• King Jr. went to jail 29 times, once for driving at 30 miles per hour in a 25 mile zone.
• He convinced Nichelle Nichols, who played the character of Uhura on Star Trek, to pursue her role after the first season. He was particular about it because Nichols was playing a main character on the show, the character of an intelligent member of the crew. Uhura’s character was nothing like the stereotypical roles offered to African-American people in those days.
• It wasn’t until 2000 that all 50 states officially observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Arizona, New Hampshire and Utah were the last to join the list in 1992, 1999 and 2000 respectively.
• There are more than 700 streets, nationwide, named after Martin Luther King Jr. This is exclusive of the buildings and schools that are named after him.
• The Japanese city of Hiroshima observes Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, honoring King’s message of human rights and peace.
• He is the youngest male, till date, to have won a Nobel Peace Prize, winning it at the age of 35.