10 Things You Need To Know About Maya Angelou

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#1- Maya Angelou was born on 4 April, 1928, in Missouri, U.S. Her real name was Marguerite Annie Johnson.

#2- Her older brother gave her the nickname "Maya" when she was a child, which means "My Sister".

#3- Maya did not attend college, but she received more than 30 honorary degrees from different universities.

#4- She was the first black woman to work as a female streetcar conductor in San Francisco.

#5- Maya stopped celebrating her birthday after 1968 because Martin Luther King Jr. died on the same day.

#6- At 8, she was raped by her mother's BF. Later, the accused was probably killed by her relatives. The incident made Maya mute for almost 5 years.

#7- She had knowledge of 5 other languages besides English. Which are Spanish, French, Arabic, Italian, and West African Fenty.

#8- Maya Angelou was the first black woman in American history to have her picture printed on a US currency.

#9- In 2000, she received the "National Medal of Arts" from Bill Clinton.

#10- Maya Angelou was also awarded the "Presidential Medal of Freedom" by Barack Obama in 2010.

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