Most American’s will be observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day tomorrow (Monday).  Schools, government offices and some businesses will be closed.  What you may not have known is that there is a city outside the U.S., way outside the U.S., which observes MLK Day – Hiroshima, Japan. That’s right, Hiroshima Japan. Toronto Canada also observes the Civil Rights leader memorial day. Hiroshima and Toronto do not observe Martin Luther King’s, Jr. Day as a public holiday, yet both of them officially recognize the day as an act to spread the message of human rights equality for all people regardless their gender, race, and social status. Other notable facts surrounding MLK Day include:

1. Different Names, Different Reasons – Some states didn’t originally want to call today “Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.” Instead, they had different ideas. Utah originally named it “Human Rights Day,” which lasted until the year 2000. Virginia called it “Lee-Jackson-King Day,” which combined King’s birthday with Lee-Jackson day. The holidays were separated in 2000. Mississippi still celebrates them as one.

In Arizona, the day is known as “Martin Luther King, Jr./Civil Rights Day” and in New Hampshire, it is “Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights Day.”

2. International? – Under Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba, Hiroshima, Japan also celebrates MLK Day to display the importance of King’s message of civil rights. Toronto, Ontario also observes the holiday because of the amount of American Canadians residing in the city.

3. Once Failed – The original bill to make MLK Day a national holiday was first presented to Congress in 1979, but failed by five votes. The bill was later signed in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan.

4. Philly Roots – “The national Martin Luther King Day of Service was started by former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Harris Wofford and Atlanta Congressman John Lewis, who co-authored the King Holiday and Service Act. The federal legislation challenges Americans to transform the King Holiday into a day of citizen action volunteer service in honor of Dr. King. The federal legislation was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on August 23, 1994. Since 1996, the annual Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service has been the largest event in the nation honoring Dr. King.”

5. Stamp Collection – “On January 13, 1979, the United States Postal Service unveiled a 15 cent commemorative stamp as a memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. during ceremonies at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. It was the 10th stamp in honor of a Black American and the second stamp issued in the Black Heritage USA Series which recognizes the contributions of Black Americans to the development of the United States. The U.S. Postal Service issued 166,435,000 King stamps.”