Milestones in the life of Dr. King
1929
Born in Atlanta on Jan. 15, 1929 to Alberta Williams King and Martin Luther
King Sr. Older sister, Christine; younger brother, A.D.
1953
Marries Coretta Scott King on June 18, 1953; they have four children: Yolanda,
Dexter, Martin and Bernice.
1955
Elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) five days
after Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to remove herself from the "white"
section of the bus. Serves in the office until 1956. The Montgomery Bus Boycott
also begins at the same time, in December 1955.
1957
Founds the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to expand the nonviolent
struggle against racism and discrimination in the United States.
1929
Jailed in Birmingham, Ala., on April 16, 1963, for protesting. While incarcerated,
King writes "Letter from a Birmingham Jail."
1963
Delivers his most famous speech -- "I Have a Dream"
-- on August 28, 1963, in the nation's capital. The more than 200,000 Americans
who participated in the March on Washington -- organized by King and intended
to call attention to black unemployment -- gathered at the Lincoln Memorial
to hear King's landmark oratory.
1964
Receives the Nobel Peace in December 1964 in Oslo, Norway. At the time, King
is the third black and the youngest person ever to receive it.
1968
Shot and killed on April 4, 1968, by James Earl Ray, a white drifter and escaped
convict. Ray receives a 99-year prison sentence for his crime.
Source: Stanford University, Tribune Media Services