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Michael King, later known as Martin Luther King, Jr., is born at 501 Auburn Ave. in Atlanta, Georgia.
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King begins his freshman year at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.
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The Atlanta Constitution publishes King's letter to the editor stating that black people "are entitled to the basic rights and oppotunities of American citizens."
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King is ordained and appointed assistant pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.
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King graduated from college with a bachelor of divinity degree, delivering the valedictory address at the commencement.
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King begins his pastorate at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.
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At 9:15 pm, while King speaks at a mass meeting, his home is bombed. His wife and daughter were not injured. King later addresses an angry crowd that had gathered outside the house, pleaeding for nonviolence.
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At a mass meeting at Holt Street Baptist Church, the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) is formed. King becomes the president of it.
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King recieves a threatening phone call late in the evening, prompting a spititual revelation that fills him with strength to carry on in spite of persecution.
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Southern black ministers meet in Atlanta to share strategis in the fight against segregation. King named chairman of the Southern Negro Leaders Conference on Transportation and Nonviolent Integration.
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King is named "Man of the Year" by Time Magazine.
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King is arrested and jailed for demanding service at a white-only restaurant in St. Augustine, Florida.
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King returns to Memphis, determined to lead a peaceful march. During an evening rally at Mason Temple in Memphis, King delivers his final speech, "I've Been to the Mountaintop."
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King is shot and killed while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.