MLK: THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW

There’s no doubt that Martin Luther King Jr. was a great man. He taught a great many lessons, and showed the public a proper and very effective way to protest.

Each year on the third Monday in January, we take a day to remember and honor MLK and his life’s work. We celebrate peaceful marches and speeches.

Much of this is well-documented and described, at length. However, there are many facts about MLK that are little known. For example, after he delivered his “I have a Dream” speech in 1963, he gave the copy he had with him to one of his volunteers who asked for it, after the oration was given.

Therefore, in honor of King’s day of remembrance this year, we celebrate here with some other fun facts about him:

– One sneeze could have killed him. King was at a book signing event for his new book in 1958 (at age 29) when a woman plunged a 7-inch letter opener into his chest, coming to rest very close to his aorta in his heart. Even one sneeze would have allowed for the blade to penetrate the aorta and end his life, surgeons later said.

-He was unquestionably a great speaker but when he was a student at Crozer Theological Seminary his grades included a C and a C+ in public speaking.

-He was a fan of “Star Trek” (the original television series) and even met one of the actresses who had left the show to work on Broadway.

-On the topic of the media, he once won a Grammy for a recording of a speech he gave sharing his views on the Vietnam War.

-When he got married he spent his wedding night in a funeral home. This was because there weren’t any hotels at that time in Alabama that would allow African Americans to stay in a honeymoon suite. King’s wife, Coretta, had a friend who owned a funeral home and lodging arrangements were made.

King’s contributions to the greater good are very significant and he is an important figure from history, but it’s also fun to celebrate some of the lesser-known parts of his memorable life.