The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most revered figures of the last century. Since his assassination in 1968, his likeness and message are known all across the world. Without question, he is a global icon.
While there is so much that we know about his life through books and films that seek to capture the essence of who he was, there may be details about the activist that many may not know about him. Below, we shine a light on seven.
He was born Michael King Jr.
On January 15, 1929, on this day we celebrated the life of Dr. Michael King Jr., born in Atlanta, Georgia. When he was five years old, his father, Rev. Michael King Sr. traveled to Germany in the 1930s and was inspired by Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther. Upon returning to the States, he legally changed his name to Martin Luther King, Sr., and his son’s to Martin Luther King Jr
He graduated from Morehouse College at 19
A precocious student, King skipped two grades and graduated from Washington High School in Atlanta when he was 15. After passing his entrance exams, he enrolled at Morehouse College and earned a B.A. in sociology at 19.
He was an avid pool player
While he’s known for being an activist, minister, theologian, and philosopher, one of his favorite pastimes was billiards. King picked up pool as a grad student at Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania (now known as the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, New York) and played the game throughout his life.
He was the first Black person to be named Time Person of the Year
After the March On Washington For Jobs and Freedom, King was named 1963’s “Man of the Year” in the January 1964 issue of Time Magazine. He became the first African American to receive this honor. This was actually his second appearance on the cover of Time. In 1957, he graced the cover for his leadership in the Montgomery bus boycott.
He was one of the youngest people to receive the Nobel Peace Prize
In 1964, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population.” At 35 years old, he was the youngest person ever to receive the prestigious honor at that time. He would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to advance the cause of the civil rights movement.
He recorded for Motown Records
King can be counted among the iconic artists that have recorded at Motown Records. Motown released an album of the Detroit speech in August 1963, titled The Great March To Freedom. The label agreed to a 40-cents-per-copy royalty and a $400 advance for the album with King, a generous deal for a record that could be purchased for $1.80. King insisted that his royalties go to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Motown founder Berry Gordy also made a $500 donation to the SCLC and Motown acts would perform at the organization’s fundraisers.
He was a Grammy Award winner
In 1964, King won his first Grammy for We Shall Overcome (The March On Washington…August 28, 1963), which was up for Best Documentary, Spoken Word, or Drama Recording (Other Than Comedy). Posthumously, in 1971, he won for Best Spoken Word Recording for “Why I Oppose The War In Vietnam.”
