1918: Evangelist Billy Graham, who rose to celebrity status in 1949 with revival meetings in Los Angeles that drew national media attention, is born in Charlotte, North Carolina. [ + - ]
Davis Turner/Getty Images
Graham has been listed by Gallup as one of the "Ten Most Admired Men in the World" more than 50 times. [ + - ]
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Graham won the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Freedom Award, for monumental and lasting contributions to the cause of freedom. [ + - ]
Stephen Chernin/Getty Images
Graham met with every US president from Harry Truman to Barack Obama. [ + - ]
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Graham has preached to over 215 million people in more than 185 countries. [ + - ]
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association via CNN
Graham was friends with Martin Luther King Jr. and believed every person was equal in the eyes of God. [ + - ]
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Graham's literary works include Christianity Today magazine, which was first published in 1956, and more than 30 books. [ + - ]
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Graham's last crusade, at Flushing Meadows in New York City in 2005, drew 242,000 people. More than 8,500 of them made a new commitment to the Christian faith. [ + - ]
