Dr. King Timeline The Martin Luther King, Jr. Timeline is a brief outline of major events in Dr. King's life. For a more detailed look, read the articles in full below, or search for Martin Luther King, Jr. Timeline in this archive.
1929 January 15 - Martin Luther King, Jr. is born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King. Read Article (pictured on the right) Celebrate King's birthday by learning more about him The Post Standard, January 15, 1998 1955 December 1 - Rosa Parks, an African American seamstress, refuses to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She is arrested for disregarding the municipal segregation ordinance. Read Article Arrest May Bring Court Test of Dixie City's Bus Segregation The Bridgeport Telegram, December 6, 1955 1955 December 5 - Rosa Parks receives $14 fine in police court while thousands of African Americans boycott Montgomery, Alabama bus lines in protest. Martin Luther King, Jr. is elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association. Read Article Negroes Boycott Busses in Protest to Segregation Move Dixon Evening Telegraph, December 6, 1955 1956 January 30 - A bomb is thrown at the King home in Montgomery. Mrs. King and baby Yolanda are in the house at the time, but no one is hurt. Read Article (pictured on the right) 24 Ministers Held in Bus Boycott Plot The Newark Advocate, February 23, 1956 1957 June 13 - Martin Luther King, Jr. meets with Vice President Richard M. Nixon. Read Article Vice President Strategically Placed to Help Reno Evening Gazette, June 13, 1957 1958 September 20 - Dr. King is stabbed by Izola Curry in Harlem, New York, while King autographs his new book. Read Article (pictured on the right) Woman Stabs Rev. King The Post Standard, September 21, 1958 1960 June 24 - King meets with presidential candidate John F. Kennedy about racial issues. Read Article Negro Leader Says Demonstrations Are Planned for Both Conventions The Coshocton Tribune, June 25, 1960 1960 October 19 - King is arrested for violating Georgia's trespassing law during an Atlanta sit-in. Read Article Jail 36 Negro Demonstrators At Atlanta Stevens Point Daily Journal, October 20, 1960 1963 April 16 - Martin Luther King, Jr. writes Letter From a Birmingham Jail after he was arrested for sit-in demonstrations held in Birmingham, Alabama. Read Article JFK Action Taken For King's Wife The Daily Times News, April 16, 1963 1963 August 28 - King delivers his I Have A Dream speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Read Article King's Plea - 'Let Freedom Ring' The Oakland Tribune, August 29, 1963 1964 September 18 - Dr. King meetings with Pope Paul VI. Read Article King Expects Papal Word on Civil Rights The Valley Independent, September 19, 1964 1964 Martin Luther King, Jr. receives the Nobel Peace Prize. Read Article King Awarded Nobel Prize The Newark Advocate, October 14, 1964 1968 April 3 - King makes his last speech at the Memphis Masonic Temple. Read Article King returns to Memphis for Friday march The Valley Independent, April 3, 1968 1968 April 4 - Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Read Article (pictured on the right) Sheer Force of Spirit Helped Alter History The Oakland Tribune, April 5, 1968 1968 April 9 - Dr. King is buried in Atlanta, Georgia. Read Article (pictured on the right) Thousands at King Funeral The Valley Independent, April 9, 1968 1986 January 18 - President Ronald Reagan declares the third Monday in January a public holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Read Article (pictured on the right) King Syracuse Herald Journal, January 19, 1986		Newspaper Articles (click to view readable full images) The Post Standard January 15, 1998 The Newark Advocate February 23, 1956 The Post Standard September 21, 1958 The Oakland Tribune April 5, 1968 The Valley Independent April 9, 1968 Syracuse Herald Journal January 19, 1986