Random Surprising And Little-Known Facts About Martin Luther King Jr. (15 items)

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  (#11) He Didn't Leave His Wife Or Children With Any Money After His Death

  King did not have a will when he died and did not set aside any money to send his four children to college. Even though he wrote four books, received over $50,000 for winning the Noble Peace Prize, and earned money through public speaking events and his ministry, he didn't put aside any funds for his wife or kids. Instead, King donated any money he earned to the Civil Rights movement - as a minister, he believed it was necessary to take a vow of relative poverty.
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  (#10) He Applied For A Permit To Carry A Concealed Firearm

  In the 1950s, King applied for a permit to carry a concealed weapon - this being before he had begun advocating for passive resistance. He possessed a collection of firearms for self-defense, and was often surrounded by armed guards who protected him and his family.

  One of King's colleagues, Glenn Smiley, even referred to King’s home as being “an arsenal.” King had good reason to fear for his life, as the Ku Klux Klan in Alabama had a target on his head, and he was threatened daily. His home and churches in Montgomery had even been bombed.
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  (#12) He Was A Trekkie

  King can be credited with persuading Nichelle Nichols to stay on as Uhura on Star Trek following the end of season one. Nichols later recalled that King wanted her to stay on the show not only because she was a Black woman playing a main character on television, but because her character wasn't written based on popular stereotypes. Nichols's character was intelligent and the other crew members regarded her as an equal.
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  (#13) He Got A "C" In Public Speaking

  While attending his first year of seminary school, King surprisingly got a "C" in public speaking.  However, it wasn't because he was bad at talking in front of people, In fact, his father said that King was one of the best public speakers he'd ever encountered. By the time he graduated from seminary, King had managed to raise the grade to an "A." He also was the student body president and valedictorian.
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  (#7) He Started College At Age 15

  King did so well in school that he was able to skip grades 9 and 12, and was even accepted into college as a freshman at age 15. He attended Morehouse College in 1944, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. Initially, King had no interest in becoming a Baptist minister even though his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had all been called to the ministry; however, Benjamin E. Mays - the president of Morehouse - persuaded King to finish his work with the ministry.

  He also received his undergraduate degree in sociology, and went on to obtain his second bachelor's degree in divinity from Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, PA. And by the time he was 25, he had attained his PhD in systematic theology from Boston University.
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  (#15) He Won A Grammy Award

  No, King did not possess a secret singing ability (that we know of). However, following his death, King won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 1971. He received the honor for his album Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam. On it, he said:

  "Now, let me make it clear in the beginning, that I see this war as an unjust, evil, and futile war. I preach to you today on the war in Vietnam because my conscience leaves me with no other choice. The time has come for America to hear the truth about this tragic war."

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