4. King Loved To Smoke But Hid The Habit... And Was Out On The Balcony Having Finished A Cigarette When He Was Assassinated
Although King himself is not smoking in the picture above, he did love a cigarette - and, despite hiding the habit from the public, it was something he did frequently. In fact, on the day he was assassinated, King was stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis having just finished a cigarette when he was shot and killed. Reverend Kyles, who was out on the balcony with him, confirmed that this is what King had been doing. Yet Kyles removed the packet of cigarettes from King's pocket and disposed of the used butt before the ambulance arrived in order to clear the evidence. King had been keen to hide the habit due to the fact it was frowned upon by many within the church, and because he did not want his own children to take up smoking. Therefore he did not want to be caught on camera with a cigarette in hand or mouth.
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.
