Malcolm X was an African American Muslim minister, public speaker, and human rights activist. To his admirers, he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans. His detractors accused him of preaching racism and violence. He has been described as one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history. After living in a series of foster homes, Malcolm X became involved in the criminal underworld in Boston and New York. In 1945, Malcolm X was sentenced to eight to ten years in prison. While in prison, Malcolm X became a member of the Nation of Islam. After his parole in 1952, he became one of the Nation's leaders and chief spokesmen. For nearly a dozen years, he was the public face of the Nation of Islam. Tension between Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad, head of the Nation of Islam, led to Malcom X's departure from the organization in March 1964. After leaving the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X became a Sunni Muslim and made a pilgrimage to Mecca. He traveled extensively throughout Africa and the Middle East. He founded Muslim Mosque, Inc., a religious organization, and the secular, black nationalist Organization of Afro-American Unity. Less than a year after he left the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X was assassinated while giving a speech in New York.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1536:

Anne Boleyn , the second wife and queen consort of Henry VIII of England, was beheaded at the Tower of London for adultery, incest, and high treason. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Boleyn

1643:

Thirty Years' War: The French led by Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé scored a decisive victory against the Spanish in Rocroi, France. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Rocroi

1780:

A combination of thick smoke, fog, and heavy cloud cover caused complete darkness to fall on parts of Canada and the New England area of the United States, requiring candles to be used from noon until midnight. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England%27s_Dark_Day

1802:

Napoléon Bonaparte, First Consul of the French Republic, established the Légion d'honneur order as a reward to commend civilians and soldiers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9gion_d%27honneur

1919:

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk traveled to Samsun to establish the Turkish National Movement to resist the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, marking the start of the Turkish War of Independence. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_War_of_Independence

1922:

The Young Pioneer Organization of the Soviet Union, a mass pioneer movement for children of age 10–15, was founded. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Pioneer_organization_of_the_Soviet_Union

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

bulwark (n): 1. A defensive wall or rampart.

2. A defense or safeguard. 3. A breakwater http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bulwark

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Mankind is a single body and each nation a part of that body. We must never say "What does it matter to me if some part of the world is ailing?" If there is such an illness, we must concern ourselves with it as though we were having that illness. --Mustafa Kemal Atatürk http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mustafa_Kemal_Atat%C3%BCrk