Reformation Day: 7 lesser-known facts about Martin Luther

By Michael Gryboski, Editor
Saturday, October 31, 2026

A statue of 16th-century theologian Martin Luther holds a Bible in the hand on the marketplace during the celebrations to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Luther's nailing of his 95 theses on the doors of the nearby Schlosskirche church on October 31, 2017 in Wittenberg, Germany. | Carsten Koall/Getty Images

Reformation Day is the anniversary of when German monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to a church door in Wittenberg in 1517, sparking the Protestant Reformation.

In the more than five centuries since the Reformation began, people have written much about Luther, his writings, the ongoing influence of his movement, and his personal biography.

Certain aspects of his life and what he believed, while known to scholars of church history and theologians, may not be as widely known to the general public.

So, in honor of Reformation Day, here are seven facts about Martin Luther that might not be widely known.

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