The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Junior was a pastor, crusader and the youngest man ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize. His name has become synonymous with the civil rights struggle.
On August 28th, 1963, a quarter-million people marching on Washington, D.C. to demand civil rights heard his "I Have a Dream" speech. "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold these truths to be self-evident -- that all men are created equal."
Two decades after that momentous speech, the third Monday in January was made a federal holiday commemorating his birthday. Since the first observance on January 20th, 1986, it has been an occasion for people to remember King's life and re-dedicate themselves to achieving that dream.
In 1964, at age 35, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1968, King went to Memphis to support a strike by sanitation workers, most of whom were black. On April 4th, 1968, he was assassinated while standing on a balcony at the Lorraine Motel. His death sparked riots across America. The Lorraine has since been converted into a national civil rights museum.
">This is just a sample of the powerful speech
And the moment Walter Cronkite leads The CBS Evening News with the death of Doctor Martin Luther King on April 4th, 1968.