With all of the movies, documentaries, and books that have covered Dr. King’s life, you’d think we now know everything there is to know about him, but turns out there’s more. So in celebration of the late great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we would like to share with you a few little known facts about one of the greatest leaders to have ever graced humanity. See details on King’s suicide attempt below.
DR. KING’S SUICIDE ATTEMPT
At age 12, King attempted suicide after the death of his grandmother. The day she died, he attended a parade against his parent’s wishes. While he was gone, his little brother knocked his grandmother unconscious while sliding down a banister and King blamed himself for the death. Since he was so young, he didn’t realize that the unconsciousness was unrelated to his grandmother’s heart attack. Being distraught and emotional, he jumped out a second story window at his family’s home.
DR. KING’S MOTOWN RECORD DEAL & OTHER LITTLE KNOWN FACTS
KING WAS SIGNED TO BERRY GORDY’S MOTOWN RECORDS
Via Washington Post: “Dr. King told me that my music was really about social integration while he was trying to bring about intellectual and political integration,” Mr. Gordy said. “He wanted me to join him in his movement, and he wanted to be a part of Motown, my label.” Motown put out King’s spoken-word LPs, including “The Great March on Washington” and “The Great March to Freedom.”
MLK Jr. HAD VERY STRESSED HEART AT TIME OF DEATH
Although Martin Luther King Jr. was only 39 at the time of his death, autopsy results revealed the he had the heart of a 60-year-old. Doctors believed this was a result of stress.
KING DONATED HIS ENTIRE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE PAYMENT
In 1964, at age 35, King was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. King donated ALL of his $54,600 Nobel Peace Prize money to the civil rights movement.
KING ENROLLED IN MOREHOUSE COLLEGE AT JUST 15
Having skipped both the ninth and twelfth grades, Dr. King entered Morehouse College at the age of fifteen. He’s seen here at his baccalaureate service with his sister, Christine (pictured above with MLK), who was graduating from Spelman College.
KING WAS BORN WITH A DIFFERENT NAME
King’s original name was Michael King Jr. In 1931, his father became pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and adopted the name Martin Luther King Sr. When King was 6 years old, his father officially changed his name on his birth certificate to Martin Luther King Jr.
ARRESTED 33 TIMES FIGHTING FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
King was arrested thirty times for his participation in civil rights activities. Here he is being charged with loitering in 1958.
KING’S WORK IS UNPRECEDENTED
From 1957 until his death in 1968, King gave over 2,500 speeches; he traveled more than 6 million miles; and he wrote five books and countless articles published in newspapers and magazines.
MLK WAS BORN IN CHILDHOOD HOME
On Jan. 15, 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr., the second of three children of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King, was born at the family home on 501 Auburn Avenue (shown above).
REST ON DR. KING
Dr. King’s birthday was on January 15th, so as we celebrate MLK Day, y’all know it’s only right that we end this with Stevie Wonder’s MLK tribute, “Happy Birthday To Ya!”
