Malcolm X

1925 – 1965 · died at about 40^[1][2]

Activism & Social Change

Fun Facts About Malcolm X

• Malcolm X was nicknamed "Detroit Red" while washing dishes in Harlem beside a fellow redhead called "Chicago Red", who later became the comedian Redd Foxx.^[1]
• Malcolm X met Martin Luther King Jr. only once, on March 26, 1964, at the US Capitol, and only long enough for photographs to be taken.^[1][3][4]
• Malcolm X inspired the boxer Muhammad Ali to join the Nation of Islam; Ali later broke ties with him and described the break as one of his greatest regrets.^[1][5][6]
• Malcolm X was arrested in 1946 while picking up a stolen watch he had left at a shop for repairs.^[1]
• He took the name X to symbolize his unknown African ancestral surname, discarding what he called "the white slavemaster name of 'Little'".^[1]
• Marvel writer Chris Claremont confirmed that Malcolm X inspired the X-Men character Magneto, while Martin Luther King Jr. inspired Professor X.^[1][3][4]
• Malcolm X was alive at the same time as Claude Monet — their lives overlapped for 1 year (1925–1926).^[1][2][7][8]
• Malcolm X shares a birthday with Ho Chi Minh: both were born on May 19.^{[1][2][9][10]}

Malcolm X was an African American revolutionary, civil rights leader, and Muslim minister who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement until his assassination in 1965. He discovered the new religious movement the Nation of Islam while in prison and served as a spokesperson from 1952 until he transitioned to Sunni Islam in 1964. He is often regarded as one of the most significant Muslim figures in the history of the United States. A controversial figure accused of preaching violence, Malcolm X is also a celebrated figure within the African American community for his pursuit of racial justice and equality.^[1]

Contemporaries

Winston Churchill

40 yr overlap

Pablo Picasso

40 yr overlap

Igor Stravinsky

40 yr overlap

Coco Chanel

40 yr overlap

Georgia O'Keeffe

40 yr overlap

Charlie Chaplin

40 yr overlap

Ho Chi Minh

40 yr overlap

Agatha Christie

40 yr overlap

Dwight D. Eisenhower

40 yr overlap

Charles de Gaulle

40 yr overlap

Haile Selassie

40 yr overlap

J.R.R. Tolkien

40 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Malcolm X

When was Malcolm X born?

Malcolm X was born on May 19, 1925, and died on February 21, 1965.

How old was Malcolm X at death?

Malcolm X was born on May 19, 1925, and died on February 21, 1965, at age 39.

What was Malcolm X known for?

Malcolm X was known for: Civil rights leader and Nation of Islam spokesman. Malcolm X was an African American revolutionary, civil rights leader, and Muslim minister who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement until his assassination in 1965. He discovered the new religious movement the Nation of Islam while in prison and served as a spokesperson from 1952 until he transitioned to Sunni Islam in 1964. He is often regarded as one of the most significant Muslim figures in the history of the United States. A controversial figure accused of preaching violence, Malcolm X is also a celebrated figure within the African American community for his pursuit of racial justice and equality.

Who was alive at the same time as Malcolm X?

Malcolm X's closest contemporary was Winston Churchill. Their lives overlapped for 40 years.