Born January 15, 1929

Martin Luther King, Jr was a Baptist minister who became a civil rights activist, leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He led the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where he gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. In 1964, he became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace prize. King was assasinated in Memphis Tennessee on April 4, 1968 at the age of 39.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a law creating a federal holiday to honor him.