1925: Malcolm X, the Muslim minister and human rights activist, is born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska. He became a member of the Nation of Islam while in prison in the late-1940s and quickly became one of the religious movement's leaders after his parole in 1952. During the next 12 years, we was the public face of the Nation of Islam and espoused black supremacy and advocated the separation of black and white Americans. However, he split with the group in 1964 and, while continuing to emphasize black self-determination and black self-defense, disavowed racism. He was assassinated at the age of 39 on Feb. 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City by members of the Nation of Islam.