The History of Martin Luther King timeline

Jan 15, 1929

Birth of Martin Luther King

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

Feb 25, 1948

King became a minister in his father's church

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

Jun 21, 1948

King's graduation

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

Jun 18, 1953

King's marriage

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

Oct 19, 1954

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

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

Jun 5, 1955

Receiving of the Ph.D role

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

Dec 5, 1955

President of the Montgomery Improvement Association

King was elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association

May 17, 1957

Martin Luther King forms the Southern Christian Leadership

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.

Dec 16, 1961

King got arrested for the first time

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

Jul 27, 1962

King was jailed for the second time

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

Aug 28, 1963

I Have A Dream speech

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.

Jan 3, 1964

King's title

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

Jun 11, 1964

King's third arrest

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

Dec 10, 1964

King's Nobel Prize

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.

Aug 12, 1965

Vietnam War

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

Jan 26, 1966

King moved

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.

Feb 23, 1966

King meets Nation of Islam leader

In Chicago, King meets Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad

Jun 19, 1966

King and his friends resume March Against Fear

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.

Dec 4, 1967

KIng's plan in Washington D.C

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.

Mar 28, 1968

King leads a protest

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

Apr 3, 1968

King's speech, 1 day before he died

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."