William Franklin Graham was born November 7, 1918 . Over the past 50 years Graham has preached to over 210 million people worldwide. Graham accepted Christ at the age of 16. Graham went to the Florida Bible Institute and graduated in 1940 and was ordained a Southern Baptist Minsister later that year. He went on to continue his education and at Wheaton College he recieved a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology in 1943. As a young minster his message was a simple one," Repent, accept Christ and be saved." That message has not changed over his 50 year career.

In 1943 he married Ruth McCue Bell, the daughter of a missionary surgeon in China. The young Grahams moved to Western Springs, Ill. where Graham took his firsat preaching job. There they started their family, the first of five children was born in 1945.

Within ten years his ministry grew and began to travel the world to spread his message .In Los Angeles,1949, Billy Graham preached to 350,000 people in a tent crudsade. The crusade started out as a three week event and went on for eight weeks. With the help of William Randolph Hearst's newspapers, Graham recieved a good amount of positive press. With the tent crusades crossing the country it wasn't long before he was on radio. He would soon master the new medium of television.

Through the years Graham became friends with eight presidents, starting with Harry Truman. In 1990 he met with Pope John Paul II and presented him with a quilt from North Carolina. Graham has visited with dictators and communist. In Moscow he preached for an end to the nuclear arms race. He has taken his ministry around the world.

Billy Graham gave his life to God over 65 years ago and has not turned back. Remarkably Graham is probably one of the most well-known American ministers around the world.