20 Things You Didn't Know About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech

The secrets behind one of America's greatest speeches.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Tomorrow America will look to its capital to commemorate the incredible legacy four short words left on the nation and its history.

In the summer of 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. took the podium at the Lincoln Memorial in front of an estimated 250,000 people, with millions more watching at home. People listened and watched, waiting for King to culminate the largest civil rights gathering in American history and hoping to lay witness to his already well-respected oratory skills. And, King did not dissapoint. In a 16 minute speech, King spoke of equality, progress, and most vividly, a dream. 

Now, years later, we still speak of that singular vision. When experts note great speakers, King is never far from their lips. When older people remember life-changing moments, many reference King's words on that hot day in August. His speech at the March on Washington brought an air of hope to a racially divisive country. And now, on its 50th anniversary, it still inspires promises of yet more change. In honor of his powerful and pivotal words, we compiled a list of 20 little known facts about his "I Have a Dream" speech. Gain a deeper understanding of what's behind Dr. King's famous words.

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20. People traveled insane distances to participate in the march and hear the speech.

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19. A retired college basketball coach has the only hard copy of the speech.

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18. "I Have A Dream" put MLK, Jr. on the FBI's watchlist.

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17. MLK, Jr. now watches the spot where he delivered his famed speech.

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16. Bob Dylan opened for MLK, Jr.

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15. MLK, Jr. Oratory Skills Topped FDR's and JFK.'s

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14. He quoted a Negro spiritual.

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13. The Republican Party may have inspired the speech's closing words.

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12. The March on Washington was for freedom and labor issues in America.

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11. MLK, Jr. spoke of the "dream" before the March on Washington.

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10. The speech referenced Shakespeare.

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9. "Normalcy, Never Again" and "A Canceled Check" were two of the speech's original titles.

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8. Just 12 hours before, the speech didn't exist.

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7. The speech was an homage to Abraham Lincoln.

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6. He was once considered an average public speaker.

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5. KIng's Speech Was Too Long

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4. It made history in more ways than one.

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3. The "I Have A Dream" speech is a rap.

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2. The speech almost didn't happen.

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1. The words "I have a dream" weren't in the original speech.

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