1. Birmingham earned the nickname “Bombingham” during the Civil Rights Movement as a result of the violent bombings that took place there. One such bombing caused the deaths of four black girls at the 16th Street Baptist Church.

2. In 1963 Public Safety Commissioner Eugene “Bull” Connor turned high-powered fire hoses and police dogs on African American protestors. Some innocent bystanders – including women and children – were also targeted. The famous media footage of this event has become symbolic of the bigotry of the pre-Civil Rights South.

3. Birmingham was named after an English industrial city of the same name to promote its destiny as a great American center of industry.

4. Birmingham boasts of the largest cast-iron statue in the world! The Vulcan Statue was commissioned in 1904 for the World’s Fair in St. Louis. Since 1938 its home has been in Vulcan Park where it still serves as a symbol of Birmingham’s industrial past.

5. Many famous people have called Birmingham their home: Willie Mays – legendary Mets hitter; singer Emmylou Harris; actress Courtney Cox; and best-selling author Tobias Wolff.


6. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” during his imprisonment at the Birmingham City Jail in 1963. He was imprisoned there for his role in planning the non-violent Birmingham Campaign which was intended to end segregation in Birmingham. The letter includes the famous quote “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

7. Birmingham was founded in 1871 on a site known for its plentiful ore, limestone, and coal deposits. These minerals are the three main ingredients in the manufacture of steel. (Birmingham is the only place in the world where such deposits have been found in such close proximity to each other.) Because of this geological boon, Birmingham was able to grow as a leading steel manufacturer. Additionally, the forced labor made possible by the Convict-Lease system staffed the mines with hordes of free labor from state and county prisons. These inmates died at far greater rates than other American coal miners due to their lack of mining experience.

8. Birmingham is still referred to as “The Magic City” because of its stellar growth as a manufacturer of steel in the American Industrial Revolution. Its other nickname: “Pittsburgh of the South” also refers to its fame as an industrial center.

9. The Birmingham Campaign – organized by Martin Luther King, Jr. in the spring of 1963 – brought full-scale media attention to one of America’s most segregated cities. The Campaign consisted of boycotts, sit-ins, non-violent protests, and marches that effectively shut down the city’s center. Following the Birmingham Campaign, “Jim Crow” signs were removed and Birmingham became more accepting of integration.

10. Many artists have found Birmingham inspirational. John Coltrane’s song “Alabama” and Dudley Randall’s poem “The Ballad of Birmingham” were based on the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in 1963 which killed four young black girls. Fats Waller – and others – sang “Birmingham Blues” and John Cougar Mellencamp wrote “When Jesus Left Birmingham” in 1993.