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Martin Luther King Jr. is born in Atlanta, Georgia -
Marting Luther King graduates from Morehouse College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. -
Martin Luther King marries Coretta Scott, and they would go on to have four children together. -
He becomes the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. -
Rosa Parks, an African American woman, refuses to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Martin Luther King Jr. becomes a leader in the boycott, which lasts for 381 days. -
He helps establish the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a civil rights organization focused on nonviolent protest and civil disobedience. -
King's first book, "Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story," is published. -
King delivers his famous "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in front of the Lincoln Memorial. -
He awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent struggle against racial discrimination. -
He becomes an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War and delivers his speech titled "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence." -
Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated by James Earl Ray while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. -
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is established as a federal holiday in the United States, celebrating his birthday and his contributions to civil rights.