6. King Was Stabbed By A Woman With A Seven-Inch-Long Letter Opener... During A Book Signing
"Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story" was written by Martin Luther King Jr in 1958 as his memoirs of the Montgomery bus boycott - and it was immediately lauded by critics as a "must read". While signing copies of the book at Blumstein's department store in Harlem, New York City, on September 20, 1958, a mentally-ill black woman named Izola Curry walked up to him and stabbed King in the chest with a seven-inch-long letter opener. She believed he was the leader of a Communist group who were conspiring against her and other African-Americans - and as soon as he said who he was, she replied "I've been looking for you for five years", before stabbing him. King was rushed to hospital and underwent emergency surgery - although he remained bedridden for weeks on end.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
