Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made his mark on the U.S. and the world when he pioneered for civil rights and equality decades ago.
His story has been told and recreated in numerous forms: books, movies, articles and podcasts highlight facts about the activist's life until his death in 1968.
2. Martin wasn't always his name.
While most people know about the Baptist minister's work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, his push for nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience to create change and his famous "I Have A Dream" speech, some facets of King's life are discussed infrequently.
1. King was the middle child, and his birth is celebrated nationwide.
Martin Luther King Jr. was born Michael King Jr. His father, who was born Michael King, changed his name after the death of his father-in-law in 1931. After filling in the pastoral footsteps of his father-in-law, Michael King Sr. adopted the name Martin Luther King in honor of the German Protestant religious leader Martin Luther. Michael Jr. later took the name, too.
3. He skipped two grades and entered college at a young age.
4. He survived an assassination attempt.
Izola Ware Curry, a mentally ill woman, stabbed King with a letter opener at a 1958 book signing. The seven-inch blade was lodged near his heart, and it took doctors hours of surgery to remove the blade.
5. He was arrested more than two dozen times.
King was arrested 30 times.