1929: Jan. 15, Michael Luther King Jr., later renamed Martin, was born in Atlanta to school teacher Alberta King and Baptist Minister Michael Luther King.
1944: Sept. 20, King began his tenure at Morehouse College in Atlanta.1948: King graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta. He was ordained at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.1951: Graduated with a bachelor's of divinity from Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pa.1953: Married Coretta Scott in Marion, Ala., on June 18. They had four children: Yolanda Denise in 1955, Martin Luther King III in 1957, Dexter in 1961 and Bernice Albertine in 1963.1954: September, moved to Montgomery, Ala., to preach at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.1955: Earned doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University.1956: House was bombed while he wasn't home.1957: Black ministers formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in January. In February, King appeared on the cover of Time magazine. 1958: King's first book, "Strive Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story" was published.1959: King visited India.1960: King left for Atlanta from Montgomery to become assistant pastor of his father's church, Ebenezer Baptist Church.1962: King met with President John F. Kennedy to urge support for civil rights.1963: In April, after being arrested for protesting, King penned "Letter From Birmingham Jail." In August, 250,000 civil rights supporters attended the March on Washington, D.C., where the "I Have a Dream" speech was delivered.1964: King won the Nobel Peace Prize in December.1965: King and 3,200 people marched from Selma to Montgomery, Ala.1968: On April 4, King was assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tenn., on the balcony of a motel.1986: Jan. 20 was the first celebration of King's birthday as a national holiday.
