Martin Luther King Jr.

Celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Learn about important historical sites here in Atlanta and read stories from our archives.

Sweet Auburn Historic District is gateway to Martin Luther King’s Atlanta

Places to visit near Atlanta's Auburn Avenue, the Sweet Auburn Historic District, including the nearby Sweet Auburn Curb Market, Martin Luther King historic site, Atlanta Dail

8 Powerful Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

7 best Martin Luther King Jr. quotes you may not know

VIDEO: Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site

Martin Luther King historic site tells story behind MLK’s dream

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Why Martin Luther King Jr.’s father changed their names

Last moments of Martin Luther King Jr. filled with normalcy

The remarkable thing about the actual death of Martin Luther King Jr., is that the moments leading up to it were so mundane.

Facts about trailblazer Nichelle Nichols

A conversation with MLK Jr. kept Nichelle Nichols from exiting Star Trek

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Coretta Scott King

High's civil rights show brings obscure photographer into the light

In classic photo of Coretta Scott King, ‘you can see the abiding love’

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Coretta Scott King: Jimmy Carter recalls crucial support

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PHOTOS: The life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

On Jan. 15, 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr., the second of three children of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King, was born at the family home on 501 Auburn Avenue.

Having skipped both the ninth and twelfth grades, Dr. King entered Morehouse College at the age of fifteen. He's seen here at his baccalaureate service with his sister, Christine, who was graduating from Spelman College.

By the age of 19, King was ordained as a minister.

While in Boston, he met Coretta Scott. They married in 1953 and would eventually have four children: Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter and Bernice.

In 1955, as the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, King was elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, the organization that was responsible for the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott from 1955 to 1956.

King graduated from Morehouse College in 1948 and from Boston University in 1955.

King's battle with the law continued. He was arrested thirty times for his participation in civil rights activities. Here he is being charged with loitering in 1958.

In August 1963, thousands gathered for the March on Washington where King gave his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech.

On July 2, 1964, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, with King and other civil rights leaders present.

In 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize from the hands of Gunnar Jahn, Chairman of the Nobel Committee, in Oslo, Norway. At the time he ws the youngest man ever to receive the prize.

Bishop B. Jlian Smith, of the Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Church (left), King (center), and Rev. Ralph Abernathy (right) during a civil rights march in Memphis, Tenn. in 1968.

When he wasn't part of the civil rights struggle, Martin Luther King Jr. was a family man. He's seen here with his wife, Coretta, and four children (from left to right) Dexter, Yolanda, Bernice and Martin Luther King III. (AJC file photo)

In April 1968, King traveled to Memphis, Tenn. to help support striking sanitation workers. On April 3, he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel with (from left to right) Hosea Williams, Jesse Jackson and Ralph Abernathy. That same day he gave his famous 'I've Been to the Mountaintop' speech.

The next day, an assassin's bulet struck King as he once again stood on the balcony. In June, James Early Ray was arrested in London and charged with King's murder.

On April 9, 1968 thousands filled Atlanta's streets in a funeral procession for the slain civil rights leader. Across the country, riots erupted.

The family of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. walk in the funeral procession of the slain civil rights leader on April 9, 1968. From left: daughter Yolanda, 12; King's brother A.D. King; daughter Bernice, 5; widow Coretta Scott King; Rev. Ralph Abernathy; sons Dexter, 7, and Martin Luther King III, 10.

In 1983, after years of fighting, Coretta Scott King (left) was successful in getting her late husband's birthday recognized as a national holiday. Here, President Ronald Reagan signs the legislation.

Thousands flock each year to King's memorial in Atlanta as well as The King Center, a civil rights history museum.

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On Jan. 15, 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr., the second of three children of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King, was born at the family home on 501 Auburn Avenue.