On 4th of April 1968 US civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 1964 at 35, he was the youngest recipient to have received the Nobel Peace Prize.

You can read more about Martin Luther King (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) and his legacy here:the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research & Education Institute

His birthday is now observed as a national holiday on the third Monday in January.