Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! This federal holiday marking the birth of the leader of the Civil Rights Movement is observed on the third Monday in January. It occurs near but not always on his birthday, which is January 15.
Here are some fascinating facts about Martin Luther King, Jr.
When he was born in 1929, his name was not Martin. He was born as Michael King, Jr. When his father, Michael senior, traveled to Germany, he learned more about Protestant reformer Martin Luther. Upon his return home, Michael King, Sr. changed both his name and his son’s name from Michael to Martin Luther.
King’s “I Have a Dream” speech that he delivered on August 28, 1963, at the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom is perhaps his most famous. The working title for it was “Normalcy — Never Again.”
That day was not the first time that King used the phrase “I have a dream.” He employed it speeches in Chicago a week before the March on Washington and in Detroit two months prior to that.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial was designed so that the statue of Dr. King looks directly at the Lincoln Memorial, where he delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was exceptionally bright and academically talented. He skipped two grades and entered Morehouse College at the age of 15. He received his Ph.D. from Boston University at the age of 25.
The “I Have a Dream” speech also serves as a history lesson. It references many documents important in American history, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Gettysburg Address, and the Emancipation Proclamation.
Dr. King won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. In this photo, King Olav congratulates Dr. King after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, as Mrs. King looks on.
You can watch the I Have a Dream speech here:
Source: Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
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