The History of Martin Luther King

Birth of Martin Luther King

Jan 15, 1929

Martin Luther King was born on 15th of January 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia

King became a minister in his father's church

Feb 25, 1948

He became a minister in his father's church, Ebenezer Baptist Church when he was 18 years old.

King's graduation

Jun 21, 1948

King graduated from Morehouse College. That he started when he was 15 years old. He graduated when he was 19.

King's marriage

Jun 18, 1953

Martin King Jr. married Coretta Scott and lived in Montgomery, Alabama.

King became pastor of Baptist in a church at Montgomery, Alabama

Oct 19, 1954

King became a pastor of a Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama.

Receiving of the Ph.D role

Jun 5, 1955

Martin Luther King received his Ph.D. from Boston University

President of the Montgomery Improvement Association

Dec 5, 1955

King was elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association

Martin Luther King forms the Southern Christian Leadership

May 17, 1957

King forms the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to fight segregation and achieve civil rights. On May 17,King speaks to a crowd of 15,000 in Washington, D.C.

King got arrested for the first time

Dec 16, 1961

King, Ralph Abernathy, Albany Movement president William G. Anderson, and other protesters are arrested by Laurie Pritchett during a campaign in Albany, Georgia.

King was jailed for the second time

Jul 27, 1962

King is arrested at an Albany, Georgia prayer and he went to jail. After spending two weeks in jail, King is released.

I Have A Dream speech

Aug 28, 1963

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom attracted more than 200 000 demonstrators to the Lincoln Memorial. The march was supported by all major civil rights organizations as well as by many labor and religious groups. King delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech.
After the march, King and other civil rights leaders met President John F. Kennedy and Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson in the White House.

King's title

Jan 3, 1964

King is named "Man of the Year" by Time Magazine.

King's third arrest

Jun 11, 1964

King was arrested and jailed for demanding service at a white-only restaurant in St. Augustine, Florida.

King's Nobel Prize

Dec 10, 1964

King receives the Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway. He declares that "every penny" of the $54,000 award will be used in the ongoing civil rights struggle.

Vietnam War

Aug 12, 1965

King publicly opposes the Vietnam War at a mass rally at the Ninth Annual Convention of SCLC in Birmingham.

King moved

Jan 26, 1966

King and his wife moved into an apartment at 1550 South Hamlin Avenue in Chicago to draw attention to the city's poor housing conditions.

King meets Nation of Islam leader

Feb 23, 1966

In Chicago, King meets Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad

King and his friends resume March Against Fear

Jun 19, 1966

King, Floyd McKissick from CORE and Stokely Carmichael from SNCC resume James Meredith’s "March Against Fear" from Memphis to Jackson, Mississippi, after Meredith was shot and wounded near Memphis.

KIng's plan in Washington D.C

Dec 4, 1967

King publicly reveals his plans to organize a mass civil disobedience campaign, the Poor People's Campaign, in Washington, D.C., to force the government to end poverty.

King leads a protest

Mar 28, 1968

King leads a march of six thousand protesters in support of striking sanitation workers in Memphis. The march descends into violence and looting, and King was rushed from the scene

King's speech, 1 day before he died

Apr 3, 1968

King returned 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."

King was shot

Apr 4, 1968

King was shot and killed while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.

King was buried

Apr 8, 1968

King is buried in Atlanta.