4 myths and 4 fascinating facts about MLK

us By CNN Staff Published January 21, 2019 Matthew Lewis/The Washington Post

With Martin Luther King Jr. Day upon us, it could be easy to fall prey to spreading myths about the civil rights leader. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

So you don't fall victim, here are four of the most persistent misconceptions about MLK and four fascinating facts you should know to give you insight into who he really was. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

Myth #1: He grew more radical in his last years

Here's the standard take on King's evolution: He grew more radical in the last three years of his life as he turned against the Vietnam War and focused on poverty. Don Cravens//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

But that take is wrong. In fact, King was radical much earlier than people realize, some King scholars say. Underwood Archives/Getty Images

Another rumor: Some say he was abandoning nonviolence. When organizing a "Poor People's Campaign" before he died, King was considering tactics such as directing demonstrators to stop traffic and chain themselves to pillars, a King historian told CNN. King’s tactics evolved, becoming more confrontational, but he didn't give up on his core belief. Underwood Archives/Getty Images

Myth #2: He was a Republican

Another false claim. Actually, King’s father for a long time was a Republican -- as many black people were in the early to mid-20th century when it was the party of Abraham Lincoln. Walter Bennett/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

Myth #3: King opposed affirmative action

Conservatives cite parts of King’s “I Have A Dream” speech as evidence that he opposed affirmative action. AFP/Getty Images

Although King never used that term, he supported the concept. In his book "Where Do We Go from Here," King wrote that a "society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for the Negro." AFP/Getty Images

Myth #4: He was a solemn, serious dude

In the history books, King comes off as the stuffy preacher. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Donald Uhrbrock/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

"He was the comedian of the civil rights movement," the Rev. Lewis Baldwin, a MLK historian, told CNN. Donald Uhrbrock/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

Fact #1: His first name isn't Martin

His birth name is Michael Luther King Jr. And despite the federal holiday being celebrated on the third Monday in January, his actual birth date is January 15. Don Cravens/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

Fact #2: He was Man of the Year

King was the first African-American to be bestowed Time magazine's honor in 1963. Reg Lancaster/Express/Getty Images

Fact #3: King won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964

At 35, he was the youngest person, at the time, to receive the award. Keystone/Getty Images

Fact #4: The assassination wasn't the first attack

In 1956, his house was bombed while he was at a meeting. Then in 1958, nearly a decade before his assassination, King was stabbed in the chest, according to History.com. William Lovelace/Express/Getty Images