Martin Luther King lived most of his life in Atlanta, Georgia, and was living there at the time of his death. Named Michael King, Jr. when he was born in Atlanta on January 15, 1929, he changed his name to Martin Luther King, Jr. following his father's name change.
According to Biography.com, Martin Luther King grew up in Atlanta and was educated in local public schools. He graduated from Morehouse College before moving to Pennsylvania to attend seminary. From there, he went to Boston College for his doctorate degree, during which time he married Coretta Scott. He and his wife moved to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1954 for him to pastor Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. In 1960, he and his family returned to Atlanta where he was a co-pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church. He was living in Atlanta in 1968 when he was assassinated while on a trip to Memphis, Tennessee.Learn More
Martin Luther King had two siblings: an older sister and a younger brother. His sister, Willie Christine, was born on September 11, 1927. His brother, Alfred Daniel Williams King, was born on July 30, 1930.Full Answer >
Civil rights activist Martin Luther King was assassinated by habitual small-time criminal James Earl Ray. King was shot as he stood on the balcony of his Memphis, Tenn. motel room on April 4, 1968.Full Answer >
Martin Luther King, Jr., received numerous awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. At the time, he was the youngest man and the second American to earn the honor. While identified as an outstanding personality of the year by "Time" in 1957, the magazine also named him its "Man of the Year" in 1963.Full Answer >
Considered by many to be the most important civil rights leader in American history, Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader in several events, including the March on Washington and Montgomery Bus Boycott, that encouraged passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He was known for his non-violent methods of drawing attention to racial injustice.Full Answer >