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In 1965 she married Mr. Lawrence King and since then has been better known under her husband's family name. Billie Jean King won the triple crown for singles, doubles, and mixed doubles in the US and Britain, and in 1972 received Sports Illustrated magazine's " Sportswoman of the Year" award. She is also credited with being one of the first female athletes to speak out against sexual inequality in organized sports . In what was billed as The Battle of the Sexes, she defeated 55 years old Bobby Riggs on September 20, 1973 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 before 30,492 spectators in the Houston Astrodome (reportedly the largest ever live audience for tennis) as well as television viewers in 37 countries. She scooped winner-takes-all $100,000 for the match.
Billie Jean King is the only woman to win U.S. singles titles on all 4 surfaces on which it has been played (grass, clay, indoor, and hard.) She is one of only 8 players to hold a singles title in each of the Grand Slam in tennis events. Billie Jean King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode IslandNewport is a city located in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is the largest city on Aquidneck Island in Narragansett Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 26,475. It was founded in 1639 and incorporated as a city in 1784. It was in 19871987 is a common year starting on Thursday. Events January January 1 Nunavut's capital changes it name to Iqaluit from Frobisher Bay. January 3 Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. January 4 An Amtrak train. In 1990Events January January 3 Former leader of Panama Manuel Noriega surrenders to American forces. January 7 The Leaning Tower of Pisa is closed to the public due to safety concerns. January 9 Lt Gen Bazilio Olara Okello The man who led the coup aginst Dr Apo, Life magazineLife has been the name of two notable magazines published in the United States. LIFE, the photojournalism magazine The best known is LIFE the photojournalism magazine founded by Henry Luce in 1936 and owned by Time Warner. Its first issue was dated Novemb named her one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century".
In 1971, King (while still married) began an affair with Marilyn Barnett, a hairdresser. When this came to light in a lawsuit ten years later, King acknowledged the affair and thus became the first American athlete to openly acknowledge a homosexual relationship. In mid 1980s, she divorced Larry King. She received an award from GLAAD - an organisation devoted to reducing discrimination against gays, lesbians and bisexuals - in 2001 for "furthering the visibility and inclusion of the community in her work". The award noted her involvement in production and the free distribution of educational films, as well as serving on the boards of several AIDSAIDS Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome sometimes written Aids is a human disease characterized by progressive destruction of the body's immune system. It is widely accepted that AIDS results from infection with HIV charities.
King currently resides in New York and Seattle. Her brother, Randy Moffitt , was a pitcher for the San Franciso Giants .