U.S. Rep. John Lewis marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963, was elected to Congress in 1986 and was awarded more than 50 honorary degrees from prestigious universities in his lifetime.
Lewis died Friday, July 17, at the age of 80.
In 2016, the civil rights icon who represents Atlanta and Georgia's 5th Congressional District continued to earn big headlines by outraging critics, earning praise from supporters and crowd surfing on live television.
» Read and sign the online guestbook for Congressman John Lewis
Here are 12 times Lewis had the internet buzzing in 2016:
1. That time he had a U.S. Navy ship, fleet named for him
In January, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus revealed the USNS Lewis, a U.S. Navy replenishment oiler named for the 76-year-old Georgia congressman.
The ship, the first of a fleet of oilers known as the John Lewis class, "will, for decades to come, serve as a visible symbol of the freedoms Representative Lewis holds dear, and his example will live on in the steel of that ship and in all those who will serve aboard her," Mabus said.
In June, however, Republican U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo of Mississippi introduced a bill that would block the Navy from naming ships and fleets after lawmakers who haven't served either as president or in the military, including Lewis.
2. When he made comments dismissing U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' work on racial equality
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
In February, Lewis' dismissal of Sanders' work on racial equality in the 1960s caused quite the uproar.
"I never saw him. I never met him," the Georgia congressman said about Sanders' involvement during the time period.
But soon after making headlines, Lewis released a statement saying he "did not intend to 'disparage' Bernie Sanders," according to a previous Atlanta Journal-Constitution report.
“The fact that I did not meet him in the movement does not mean I doubted that Sen. Sanders participated in the Civil Rights Movement, neither was I attempting to disparage his activism,” he said.
Lewis formally nominated Hillary Clinton for president in July.
3. When he led a gun control sit-in on the House floor following the June Orlando massacre
Credit: Rep. Chillie Pingree
Credit: Rep. Chillie Pingree
Lewis led the sit-in on the House floor to try to force gun control legislation following the June 12 Orlando, Fla., attack that left 50 people dead and 53 others wounded.
Though the sit-in gained national praise on social media, the AJC's Tamar Hallerman reported that Lewis and other Democrats faced an ethics complaint for fundraising off the protest.
Members of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, an independent, conservative-leaning ethics watchdog group, called for investigations into several of the sit-in participants.
During a Congressional Black Caucus press conference less than one day after 12 police officers were shot in Dallas and after the controversial deaths of two black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castillo, by white law enforcement, Lewis called for unity and nonviolence.
5. That time he had a DeKalb County school named after him
In July, the DeKalb County school board voted 6-1 to name a school after Lewis, but the decision caused some debate among the board members.
One member — Stan Jester — questioned the naming procedure and was accused of having racially motivated concerns.
The same school board voted unanimously to name a new elementary school after President Barack Obama.
6. When he showed up to San Diego's Comic-Con in full costume
Lewis joined other cosplayers — people who dress up in costume — in full costume at San Diego Comic Con after speaking about his graphic novel "March."
Lewis re-created the outfit he wore when he marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., 50 years ago.
7. The day he met the 102-year-old delegate at the Democratic National Convention
Jerry Emmett — the 102-year-old honorary chairwoman of Arizona's delegation — told the AJC's Erica Hernandez she never imagined she would get to meet Lewis.
But after he addressed Arizona delegates at the Democratic National Convention in July, she finally met him.
8. The night he crowd surfed on Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show'
And the internet just about lost it, especially when Colbert shared the video on Twitter.
Watch the full interview below:
9. When he made a National Book Award long list for his graphic novel "March: Book Three"
Credit: J. Scott Applewhite
Credit: J. Scott Applewhite
On Sept. 12, Lewis and his co-authors, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, were recognized for the final piece in a trilogy on Lewis' years in the civil rights movement.
For the young people's literature category, the graphic novel titled "March: Book Three" made the long list for a National Book Award.
10. That time he won the prestigious Liberty Medal for his civil rights work
Credit: Matt Slocum
Credit: Matt Slocum
The medal was awarded to Lewis on Sept. 19 for his work in "help[ing] to extend the blessings of liberty and equality to all Americans," National Constitution Center CEO Jeffrey Rosen said.
11. When he had his dream realized with the opening of the Smithsonian's African-American museum
Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta
Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta
After Lewis spent 15 years fighting for the landmark, the new National Museum of African American History and Culture opened on Sept. 24.
It's the Smithsonian's latest addition to Washington's National Mall and another "historic crusade" for Lewis.
Lewis sat with President Barack Obama as he dedicated the museum Saturday and gave a compelling six-minute speech about the museum and its significance later that morning.
The AJC's Tamar Hallerman previously reported that Lewis plans to give the new museum some of his mementos, including a pair of slave shackles given to him by an Alabama farmer and perhaps the pen President Lyndon Johnson gave him when he signed the Voting Rights Act in 1965.
MORE: The 100-year history of the new National Museum of African American History and Culture
12. When he won the National Book Award for his graphic novel "March: Book Three"
Lewis choked up during his speech on Wednesday, Nov. 16 as he accepted the National Book Award for young people's literature.
“This is unreal,” Lewis said, according to the Star Tribune. “This is unbelievable. I grew up in rural Alabama, very, very poor, very few books in that home.”
RECOMMENDED VIDEO: John Lewis revisits Selma 50 years later
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