10 Things You May Not Know About Martin Luther King Jr.
“On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot as he stood on a balcony outside room 306 of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Forty-five years after his assassination, explore 10 surprising facts about the civil rights leader and 1964 Nobel Peace Prize winner.”
6. King narrowly escaped an assassination attempt a decade before his death.
On September 20, 1958, King was in Harlem signing copies of his new book, “Stride Toward Freedom,” in Blumstein’s department store when he was approached by Izola Ware Curry. The woman asked if he was Martin Luther King Jr. After he said yes, Curry said, “I’ve been looking for you for five years,” and she plunged a seven-inch letter opener into his chest. The tip of the blade came to rest alongside his aorta, and King underwent hours of delicate emergency surgery. Surgeons later told King that just one sneeze could have punctured the aorta and killed him. From his hospital bed where he convalesced for weeks, King issued a statement affirming his nonviolent principles and saying he felt no ill will toward his mentally ill attacker.”
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- Little Known Black History Fact: Izola Ware Curry, Stabber of MLK (blackamericaweb.com)
- The stabbing of Dr. King: New documentary delves into Izola Curry mystery (thegrio.com)
- Forty-Five Years Ago: Martin Luther King, Jr. (newyorker.com)
- Martin Luther King Jr. – “I Have A Dream” (gigislittleshop.com)
- The day that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. died (constitutioncenter.org)
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated at Memphis Motel Where Legendary R&b Musicians Gathered (raresoul.com)
- When Harlem Saved A King (thoughtprovokingperspectives.wordpress.com)
- King on the Mountaintop (pinuppickspenup.com)
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