10 Things You Didn’t Know About Martin Luther King Jr.

Monday, January 19, is Martin Luther King Day. And this year, the holiday honoring the work and legacy of one of our foremost civil rights leaders feels more urgent than ever.

Headlines have been dominated for months by the cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner and the ensuing protests, outrage, and conversations they prompted — all while a critically lauded film, Selma, about the man and his life, is in theaters. In light of all that, we decided to take a minute to celebrate Dr. King with a look at some lesser-known facts about him. After all, he achieved incredible things in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. He was inarguably a hero, but he was also an ordinary man.