History of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

POSTED: 11:22 AM PST Jan 12, 2012 UPDATED: 09:54 AM PST Jan 14, 2013

Small Text
Medium Text
Large Text

Observed on the third Monday of January each year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day has only recently been a holiday for all the people, all the time. Read on to learn more about the complicated history behind this special holiday.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial — 12 / 14

Jason Reed/Reuters

After it was founded, the King Memorial Center in Atlanta sponsored the first annual observance of King's birthday, in January 1969, almost a decade and a half before it became an official government holiday.

History of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Most Popular