Dr. Ben Carson officially launched his bid for president Monday with the message, “Heal, inspire, revive”. He’s never held an elected office, but his professional resume packs a hefty punch.
Despite his meager upbringing, Carson worked his way up to become of the world’s leading neurosurgeons, famous for his groundbreaking work separating conjoined twins. In 2008, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor for his work. Cuba Gooding Jr. even played him in a made-for-TV movie about his life.
RELATED: Who is Dr. Ben Carson? Take the quiz
In recent years, Carson became a conservative celebrity on the national stage for his no-holds-barred attitude. He once lectured President Obama – to his face – during a speech at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast, instantly placing him on the political map. Tea partiers love the guy, too, for his far-right views.
But within the last 24 hours, the American public seems more interested in the basic facts about the 2016 hopeful. According to Google data provided to msnbc, here are the top googled questions about Ben Carson:
1. How old is Ben Carson? Benjamin Solomon Carson was born on September 18, 1951.
2. Where is Ben Carson from? Carson grew up in a single-parent home in Detroit, Michigan, raised by a mom who only completed a third-grade level of education.3. Where does Ben Carson live? Carson has lived and worked in Baltimore, Maryland, for 35 years.
4. Is Ben Carson a Democrat? Nope, Carson is a Republican. As far as some of his stances go, he doesn’t believe in evolution, has called abortion human sacrifice and likened being gay to pedophilia.
5. Is Ben Carson a Christian? In a passage from his book “Gifted Hands,” he described being baptized as a boy as a Seventh-day Adventist.
Sarah Muller