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Michael (Martin) Luther King, Jr. is born in the family home at 501 Auburn Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia. He was the second child and the first son born to Reverend Michael (Martin) Luther King, Sr. and his wife, Alberta Williams King.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. graduated high school at the age of 15. He continued his education at Morehouse College where he earned a B.A. degree in 1948. In 1955 he received a doctorate degree from Boston University.
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Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King, Jr. were married on June 18, 1953, on the lawn of her mother's house; the ceremony was performed by Martin Jr.'s father, Martin Luther King, Sr.
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Inspired by Rosa Parks, a group of Montgomery African Americans refuse to ride buses. Group called Montgomery Improvement Association forms and elects 26 year old King as president.
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In 1957 MLK was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization formed to provide new leadership for the now burgeoning civil rights movement.
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King writes a book titled "Stride Toward Freedom" that describes the Montgomery bus boycotts.
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The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom is held in Washington, D.C. to try and gain support for the Civil Rights Act. King gives his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
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At the age of 35, King is the youngest person awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He is praised for calling for peaceful resistance to discrimination against African Americans.
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While standing on a motel balcony in Memphis, King is assassinated by James Earl Ray. Riots break out in over 100 cities in the U.S. and over 20,000 people are arrested.
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In honor of his work for equality in the U.S., King's birthday is declared a national holiday. He is one of only two people, along with Christopher Columbus, to have his own holiday.
