It was a little over 65 years ago to the day that an unknown assailant callously shot down Dr. Martin Luther King when the latter stood on the second-floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel. Amid speculations about who might have killed him, let’s take a moment to celebrate the legacy of a great leader gone too soon.
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1. MLK was Awarded His Doctorate at the Age of 25
Dr. Martin Luther King became a Ph.D. holder at 25, or according to some records, 26. He began his higher education when he was only 15, entering Morehouse College after skipping two grades. Four years later, he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in sociology. He was 19 at the time.
King then enrolled at Pennsylvania’s Crozer Theological Seminary for further studies. Three years later, he graduated as a valedictorian. At last, King enrolled in a doctoral program at Boston University, where he was awarded his Ph.D. at the age of 25.
2. He Wasn’t Born “Martin Luther King”
One of the most interesting facts about Martin Luther King is that, like his father, he was named “Michael King” at birth.
He would have that name for five years, adding “Luther” after his father visited Germany for a Baptist World Alliance conference. It was there he heard about a protestant reformation leader called Martin Luther. A monk and a theologian, Martin Luther’s 95 Theses challenged Catholicism and revolutionized his country.
The story inspired Michael King Sr. so much that he changed both their names to “Martin Luther King” upon returning home.
3. MLK’s Mother Met the Same Fate
Six years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, his mother Alberta met the same fate. A 23-year-old assailant fatally shot her at the Ebenezer Baptist Church during a service.
The shooter’s eventual death sentence was commuted to life in prison because the King family opposed the death penalty.
4. The King Family Helped Julia Roberts
In a recent interview, Julia Robert revealed that the King family paid her “hospital bills.” Robert shared that her family was close with the King family before she was born because her parents had enrolled King’s children in their acting school.
When Roberts was born, her family couldn’t afford the hospital bills, but King’s wife, Coretta, was happy to foot the expense.
Get Back to the Assassination of Martin Luther King with Kennedys and King
No fun fact about Martin Luther King can trump the events surrounding his assassination. At times morbidly fascinating and frustratingly complex, they create enough reasonable doubt to suggest that someone other than James Earl Ray was behind his death. Explore existing evidence and avoid poorly-researched literature regarding the MLK assassination with the help of our platform.
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