10 fun (and little known) facts, according to Black History Biography.
* Rapper Jay-Z allegedly developed his stage name as a reference to New York's J/Z subway lines that have a stop in his Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, neighborhood.
* Martin Luther King, Jr. was stabbed by an African-American woman in 1958 while attending his book signing at Blumstein's department store in Harlem. The next year, King and his wife visited India to study Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence.
* As a child Muhammad Ali was refused an autograph by his idol, boxer Sugar Ray Robinson. When Ali became a prize-fighter, he vowed never to deny an autograph request, which he has honored to this day.
* Ella Fitzgerald had a three-octave range — a range greater than most professional Opera singers.
* Famed guitarist Jimi Hendrix was known by close friends and family members simply as "Buster."
* Louis Armstrong bought his first coronet at the age of seven with money he borrowed from his employers. He taught himself to play while in a home for juvenile delinquents.
* Due to his acclaimed "Banana Boat" song, most people assume Harry Belafonte was born in the Caribbean; in fact, the internationally renowned entertainment icon and human rights activist was born in Harlem, New York.
*Before becoming a professional musician, Chuck Berry studied to be a hairdresser.
Legendary singer James Brown performed in front of a televised audience in Boston the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Brown is often given credit for preventing riots with the performance.
* Female science fiction author Octavia Butler was dyslexic. Despite her disorder, she went on to win two Hugo awards and two Nebulas for her writing.
* The "King of Pop," Michael Jackson, co-wrote the single "We Are the World" with Motown legend Lionel Richie. The single became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with nearly 20 million copies sold and millions of dollars donated to famine relief in Africa.
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Wednesday, February 9th 2011 at 3:39PM
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