Patch darragh biography of martin luther king

Editor's note: This article was written by Karen Sorensen.

In honor of Martin Luther King Day, here are 10 things you might not know about the lauded civil rights leader who changed history:

1.

Martin Luther King Jr. was christened Michael King Jr. When his father became pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta in , he adopted the name Martin Luther King Sr. -- in honor of Protestant leader Martin Luther -- and his son followed suit.

However, King never legally changed his name.

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2. The first assassination attempt on King was made in when a mentally ill woman named Izola Curry stabbed him in the chest with a steel letter opener while he was signing books at a Harlem department store.

Patch darragh biography of martin luther king jr

The knife wound was so close to his aorta that doctors said a sneeze could have killed him.

3. King skipped the ninth and eleventh grades and never graduated from high school. He enrolled in Moreh