1956    American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.'s home is bombed in retaliation for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

1963    Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pens his Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against segregation.

1963    March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his ''I Have a Dream'' speech

1965    Civil rights activists led by Martin Luther King, Jr. successfully complete their 4-day 50-mile march from Selma to the capitol in Montgomery, Alabama.

1966    The Chicago Freedom Movement, led by Martin Luther King, Jr., holds a rally at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. As many as 60,000 people came to hear Dr. King as well as Mahalia Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Peter Paul and Mary.

1967    Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence" speech in New York City's Riverside Church.

1968    Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated by James Earl Ray at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

1968    Funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr.

1986    Martin Luther King, Jr. day is celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time.