You might know Yoko Ono as the second wife of the late John Lennon, but how much do you really know about her? The 82-year-old peace activist has been around the block a few times, and she’s still going strong. However, despite the fact that Ono has spent a considerable amount of time in the spotlight and under the scrutiny of the public eye, there are still some things that many people don’t know. With that in mind, here we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Yoko Ono. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Fifteen: She Is an Ocean Child. The name “Yoko” translates to “ocean child” in kanji. Ono’s father came from a long line of samurai warrior-scholars, and he was also a classical pianist.
Number Fourteen: She Didn’t Meet Her Father Until She Was Two Years Old. Ono’s father, Eisuke Ono, was relocated to San Francisco from Tokyo just two weeks before her birth. Though the rest of the family eventually relocated to San Francisco, she was two by the time it actually happened.
Number Thirteen: She Begged for Food. Ono and the rest of her family had to carry their belonging in a wheelbarrow and beg for food at a certain point. Ono attributes her aggressive attitude and relationship with “outsiders” to this period of her life.
Number Twelve: She Was Classmates With the Future Emperor of Japan. Ono’s classmate at Gakushuin (her school) in 1946 was Prince Akihito, who would later go on to become the emperor of Japan.
Number Eleven: She Was the First Woman to Enter the Philosophy Department at Gakushuin University. Ono was accepted to Gakushuin University in 1951, and she was the very first woman there to enter the philosophy program. Despite her groundbreaking achievement, she ended up leaving the university after just two semesters.
Number Ten: She Loved the People “Beneath” Her. When Ono moved to New York to live with her family and attend Sarah Lawrence College, she became friends with many artists. However, her parents did not approve and believed that these people were “beneath” her.
Number Nine: She Was Put in a Mental Institution After Her Divorce. Ono married composer Toshi Ichiyanagi in 1956, but they got divorced in 1962. Ono decided to live with her parents after the divorce, and because of her clinical depression, she was put in a mental institution for a brief spell.