Martin Luther King Jr. By drewburnside Jan 15, 1929 Martin Luther King Jr. was born. His birth name was actually Micheal, until he changed it. Period: Jan 15, 1929 to Apr 4, 1968 MLK Jan 1, 1940 MLK attended segregated public high schools All blacks attended different schools from the whites. Jan 1, 1948 Graduated college with a B.A. degree. He also went to a segregated college. Jan 1, 1953 MLK graduated from Boston University with a doctorate degree. Jan 1, 1963 MLK was named Man of the Year by Time magazine. Apr 4, 1968 MLK shot and killed. He was shot on a balcany.