{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\cocoartf1038\cocoasubrtf360
{\fonttbl\f0\fswiss\fcharset0 Helvetica;}
{\colortbl;\red255\green255\blue255;}
\paperw11900\paperh16840\margl1440\margr1440\vieww9000\viewh8400\viewkind0
\pard\tx566\tx1133\tx1700\tx2267\tx2834\tx3401\tx3968\tx4535\tx5102\tx5669\tx6236\tx6803\ql\qnatural\pardirnatural

\f0\fs24 \cf0 Malcolm X: Firebrand U.S. civil rights leader remembered\
\
Malcolm X, the controversial Muslim minister and human rights activist shot dead 50 years ago, was seen by his admirers as a courageous advocate for the rights of blacks, but by his detractors as a preacher of racism and violence\
---------------------------------------------------------------\
1925, May 19: Malcolm X born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, fourth of seven children. Baptist minister father Earl and mother Louise are followers of Marcus Garvey \
\
1928: Home in mostly white area of Lansing, Michigan burns to ground. No fire truck is dispatched\
\
1931: Earl Little killed in streetcar accident \'96 Malcolm later claims Ku Klux Klan responsible\
\
1938: Louise Little declared mentally ill and institutionalised\
\
1939: Malcolm sent to juvenile home. Does well at school, earning straight As\
\
1941: Moves in with half-sister Ella Collins in Boston, where he works number of menial jobs\
\
1943: Responds to army draft by saying he wants to fight for Japan and kill whites. Found mentally unfit for military service\
\
1946: Convicted of grand larceny, breaking and entering, and firearms possession. Jailed for 8-10 years\
\
1948: Siblings introduce him to writings of Nation of Islam (NOI) leader, Elijah Muhammad (above), also in prison. They begin to correspond\
\
1952: Paroled from prison, Malcolm moves to Detroit and joins NOI. Rejects surname \'93Little\'94 as slave name, and becomes known as Malcolm X. Begins recruitment drive to raise NOI membership\
\
1953: Triples membership of Detroit\'92s Temple No. 1 in one year. Appointed assistant minister, and later first minister of Boston\'92s Temple No. 11\
\
1954: Appointed chief minister of Harlem\'92s Temple No. 7 in New York City. Over next five years he boosts NOI membership to 40,000 (supporting 49 temples)\
\
1956: Marries Betty Sanders, who becomes Betty X\
\
1957, Apr: Malcolm sues New York City for police brutality after savage beating of Temple member and wins largest settlement in city\'92s history, propelling him to national attention. FBI consider him \'93key figure\'94 meriting significant surveillance\
\
Jul: TV documentary profiles NOI and \'93rise of black racism\'94, alarming white community and nascent civil rights movement\
\
1960: Malcolm establishes newspaper Muhammad Speaks\
\
1961: Elijah Muhammad appoints Malcolm national representative of NOI. Malcolm increasingly asked to lecture at colleges and participate in media debates\
\
1962, Apr: Malcolm urges action after police kill unarmed secretary of Los Angeles Temple, but Elijah Muhammad resists calls for aggression\
\
1962: Malcolm appalled to learn Elijah Muhammad has had three children with at least three of his young secretaries \'96\'a0their relationship cools\
\
1963: Malcolm says assassination of President John F. Kennedy is \'93case of chickens coming home to roost,\'94 citing foul play by U.S. around world. Elijah Muhammad forbids Malcolm from teaching or talking to press
\
for 90 days\
\
1964, Jan: Malcolm removed as NOI national representative and minister of Harlem Temple No. 7\
\
Mar: Malcolm suspended by NOI. Announces plan to form separate organisation, Muslim Mosque Inc., but predicts black Muslim leaders will murder him\
\
Mar 26: Meets Rev. Martin Luther King while visiting Washington D.C.\
\
Apr: Delivers famous Ballot or the Bullet speech. Makes pilgrimage to Mecca where he receives new Islamic name, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz\
\
Summer: War of words continues with NOI. Malcolm forms Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU) to fight for human rights of African-Americans\
\
Winter: Malcolm\'92s mother released from Michigan mental hospital\
\
1965, Jan: Malcolm meets with two NOI secretaries filing paternity suits against Elijah Muhammad\
\
Feb 14: Malcolm\'92s home in Queens firebombed. He says it is \'93upon the orders of Elijah Muhammad\'94
\
\
Feb 21: Malcolm X shot dead by three Nation of Islam members while speaking at OAAU rally in Harlem\
\
Feb 27: 1,500 people attend funeral at Ferncliff Cemetery, New York\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
Sources: PBS, The Estate of Malcolm X\
\
Pictures: Associated Press\
\
**Activist and founder of Universal Negro Improvement Association\
\
631 words }