Interesting Facts You Might Not Know about Michael Jackson

If you have bought every Michael Jackson album, you probably know that he has had one of the most successful careers out of any musician in the 20th century, holding several records and awards, including the top three best selling albums of all time and 13 Grammy Awards.  Yet, other than the scandals and allegations in the media, you may not know much about his life off stage.

Dance Moves
In 1993,  he applied for a patent for "a method and means for creating an anti-gravity illusion effects for entertainment purposes," which included specially designed shoes that would allow dancers to carry out the lean move seen in his Smooth Criminal video.  The shoes temporarily attached the dancer to the stage, which allowed them to lean past their centre of gravity without falling over, and eliminated the need for the harness and wires that Michael had complained prevented the dancers from moving freely on stage.

Michael wasn't a born dancer though, getting his first inspiration after watching James Brown perform, saying that "When I saw him move I was mesmerized... right then and there I knew that that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life."   And his infamous moon walk move was inspired by the mime Marcel Marceau.

Charity Work
Michael said that he donated over $300 million to charity,  a figure that could actually be conservative.  He founded the "Heal the World Foundation" in 1992 and donated millions through the charity to war-torn and poverty stricken countries to help provide relief to children. He also donated all proceeds from his "Dangerous" world tour in 1992 to the charity.

Under Michael's guidance, the charity sent food and medical aid to Sarajevo as well as creating new community programs to improve health and education.

Not Just Music Awards
It was no secret that Michael had an almost childlike naive vision of making the world a better place.  But singing about racial equality and healing the world weren't all the superstar did.  He was an active campaigner for several causes, including AIDS awareness, relief for drug addicts, and improving the quality of life for people living in areas of severe poverty and social disruption.

While he was often publicly scorned and mocked,  he took his campaigning for the causes he believed in to the white house... and wasn't laughed off the premises.

In 1984 he was awarded a Presidential Humanitarian Award from President Reagan for his support of the war against drugs and drink driving, and in particular allowing his song "Beat It" to be used in television campaigns against drink and drug abuse.

In 2001 he also engaged in talks with politicians regarding child welfare and later met with US senators to discuss possible ways to combat the AIDS epidemic in Africa.

Michael the King
Elizabeth Taylor coined the phrase 'King of Pop' when she called Michael that as she presented him with the Artist of the Decade award in 1989, however he also received the title of 'King of Sani' by local tribesmen during a trip to Africa in 1992.

Stamp of Approval
Michael's face appeared on two Virgin islands postage stamps in 1985.