Welcome to the history tricks, where any resemblance to a boring old history lesson is purely coincidental.

Hello and welcome to the show.

In honor of Martin Luther King Day, here, again, is our coverage of Fannie Lou Hamer,

who put her own body on the front line for civil rights.

And now on with the show.

Fannie Lou Hamer began life as a small child whose hard labor was key to her family's survival.

She grew up to become a fiery civil rights activist who would not be silenced by intimidation,

violence, or the personal wishes of the president of the United States

himself. Let's talk about Fannie Lou Hamer. But first, let's drop her into history. In 1962,

Rwanda and Jamaica both became independent countries. The elite military force, the U.S. Navy

seals, were established, an anxiety-induced psychogenic illness that was not funny at all,

called the laughter epidemic spread across modern-day Tanzania. First Lady Jackie Kennedy gave

her famous televised tour of the White House. The Beatles, Barbara Streisand, and the Osmond brothers began their professional careers,

and Walter Cronkite began anchoring the CBS Evening News.

The Jetsons, The Lucy Show, Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, and the Beverly Hillbillies all made their TV debut.

Rachel Carson's Environmental Science Book, Silent Spring, was first

published. Jim Carrey, Cheryl Crow, Steve Irwin, Matthew Broderick, Tom Cruise, and Jody Foster

were all born. Marilyn Monroe and Eleanor Roosevelt died. And in 1962, Mississippian, Fannie Lou Hamer,

learned that she could vote, and it changed her life.

Fannie Alma, Louise Dubois, Townsend, was born on October 6th, 1917, the youngest of the 20, that's a

two zero, you heard me, children of James and Luella Townsend in Montgomery County, Mississippi.

Of those 20, there's 14 brothers and five sisters. That is a huge family. Mr. and Mrs.

...