Many people know a few things about Martin Luther King Jr.; perhaps you learned a little in school. You may have listened to his "I Have a Dream" speech. Most people know that MLK Day is a federal holiday on the third Monday in January.

Ronald Regan signed the King Holiday Bill into law on November 2, 1983. It is important to note that Regan was initially opposed to the legislation mainly because of Senator Jesse Helm's objection, suggesting the holiday would cost billions of dollars in lost productivity. To this day, it is the only federal holiday designated as a day of service for Americans to improve their communities. Martin Luther King Jr. was an academic, a man of the cloth, a civil rights leader, a husband, a father, and someone who personally changed America and many people's lives.

As a Baptist minister, he was deeply religious and saw many injustices in his life. King saw the need for social change and used his leadership skills to forge a path in America for equality. He preached and advocated non-violent means to end racial segregation.  

King's journey into the national spotlight began in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, with a bus boycott. Many people don't realize that his March on Washington wasn't until 1963. He spent the eight years in between dedicated to the cause of racial equality. One of his most important contributions to the cause was facilitating the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This American legislation intended to end discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin. Title One of this legislation guarantees equal voting rights, and Title Two prohibits segregation or discrimination in places of public accommodation. Title Seven bans discrimination by trades, schools, or employers.

Ten Little Known Facts About Martin Luther King Jr.

1. Martin was not born with the name Martin. He was born on January 15, 1929, as Michael Luther King Jr. His father later changed his name to Martin in honor of the Protestant Reformation leader.
2. Martin Luther King Jr., then 35, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. At the time, he was the youngest person to win the prestigious award.
3. At 15, King skipped two complete grades and entered Morehouse College in 1944.
4. Despite a life of promoting non-violent protesting, King was arrested 29 times. Once in Montgomery, AL for "loitering" in 1958.
5. Martin Luther King Jr. opposed the Vietnam War. He thought (as did many Americans) that the war would cost too many lives and that the funds should be spent on American welfare programs.  
6. King experienced two, not one, assassination attempts. In 1958, a woman named Izola Ware Curry stabbed a 7-inch letter opener into King's chest. Sadly, she was experiencing paranoid delusions and was committed to an institution where she died in 2015. King survived, but just barely, and he went through emergency surgery.
7. Many people don't know that in 1971, King won a Grammy posthumously for a recording of his 1967 address, "Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam." Also of note, this was just the 13th annual Grammy Awards.
8. Martin Luther King spent as much time with his family as was possible. He and his family watched Star Trek together and were fans of the television show. In 1967, King met actress Nichelle Nichols, urging her not to leave the sci-fi show to pursue Broadway. King told her it was the only television show he and his wife Coretta would let his kids stay up past bedtime to watch together. Later, Nichols said King's talk with her encouraged her to remain in the show because "Uhura" was not specifically a black or women's role, and seeing a strong black woman in a professional role on national television was important. Star Trek, the original series, ran for three seasons.
9. From 1957 to 1968, King traveled over 6 million miles, spoke publicly over 2,500 times, and wrote five books along with several articles over his lifetime.
10. About 900 streets are named after Martin Luther King Jr. in the US, most of which are in Southern states.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s contributions to advancing equality resonate today for millions of Americans and people worldwide. MLK Day is thought of as a day of reflection and service. 

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