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Martin Luther King Jr. was the most influential leader of the civil rights movement, leaving an indelible impact on American society and the world. Sadly, it has been more than 50 years since his assassination on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel. Despite the fact that his life was tragically cut short, his words and actions endure through his incredible legacy.
Click through the gallery to revisit significant moments from Dr. King's life and find out more about how his work still impacts us today.
The March on Washington was held in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963.
The purpose of the march was to advocate for civil and economic rights for African Americans.
King and other civil rights leaders gathered at the Lincoln Memorial before the rally.
On that very day, President John F. Kennedy held a meeting with civil rights leaders who were visiting the White House.
King's iconic "I Have a Dream" speech stands as a defining moment within the civil rights movement, retaining its status as one of the most important and stirring public addresses in history.
In Washington later that same year, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy held a meeting with King.
In October 1964, King traveled to Oslo, Norway, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
He gained recognition for his efforts in combatting racial inequality through the means of nonviolent resistance.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House. He is pictured presenting King with the pen used to sign off on the historic document.
The physical document of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, along with the pen that was used to sign it, is kept on display in the East Room of the White House.
The civil rights leader made several visits to Washington to confer with LBJ.
The photographs capturing moments from the civil rights movement have become powerful and iconic images in the history of photojournalism.
Photographers were on hand to witness an incredibly important chapter in American history.
These images captured the arduous struggle of African Americans fighting for equal rights, frequently taken within environments marked by hostility and adversity.
This march was particularly fraught with danger. Participants, including King, faced death threats, arrests, and tear gas.
While incarcerated in Birmingham County Jail, King received numerous telegrams of support, including a message from the boxer Muhammad Ali.
As he emerged from Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, King was tragically struck down by an assassin's bullet.
King's murder shocked the nation, and the world.
A day before his passing, he delivered his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" address, in which he hinted that his time might be limited.
The assassination triggered a widespread wave of race riots across the nation.
The gunman, James Earl Ray, was convicted in 1969 of King's murder, and sentenced to 99 years in jail. He died in prison in 1998.
After the death of her husband, Coretta Scott King forged her own distinguished path as a civil rights activist.
After falling into disrepair and ceasing operations, the hotel was transformed into the National Civil Rights Museum in 1991. It underwent considerable renovation in 2014.
The museum complex encompasses neighboring buildings, including the boarding house (pictured), where it is believed that James Earl Ray fired the fatal shot.
The exhibits within the museum trace the evolution of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the 17th century up to the present day.
The museum also contains a replica of the jail cell where King was once incarcerated.
Multi-media and interactive exhibits, including photographic contact sheets and numerous short movies, enhance the museum experience.
Among its features is a replica of the bus Rosa Parks boarded in 1955, when her refusal to yield her seat to a white passenger became a historic moment.
An activist herself, she passed away in 2005, aged 92.
Congress called her "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement."
Numerous roads and streets throughout the country are named in honor of both King and Rosa Parks.
The 1999 "I Have a Dream" stamp was issued in September of that year, 20 years after the "Black Heritage Series" stamp was issued.
President Bill Clinton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Coretta Scott King were in attendance at an event held in Selma to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the "Bloody Sunday" march, which led to the Voters Rights Act of 1965.
Coretta Scott King passed away in 2006, and her funeral was attended by multiple presidents and civil rights leaders.
Rev. Jesse Jackson was clearly upset at her passing.
Among those who attended the funeral was Stevie Wonder, who sang during the ceremony.
King and his wife are entombed at the King Center, Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District, Atlanta.
Barack Obama made history by becoming the first African-American President of the United States. His election served as a symbol that encapsulated the very essence of what the Civil Rights Movement had strived for.
The crowd's jubilation was evident.
The inauguration ceremony was among the most viewed events in world history.
The imposing sculpture was inaugurated in August and is situated in West Potomac Park next to the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
King's son, Martin Luther King III, addresses a crowd at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church.
A statue of Rosa Parks was unveiled in 2013.
Jesse Jackson and other civil rights leaders commemorated the renowned march in 2013.
Actor David Oyelowo played King in the biopic 'Selma' (2014). It garnered several Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.
President Barack Obama delivered a speech in front of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, the scene of a violent clash between marchers and police and state troopers.
The route the marchers took is now a designated National Historic Trail.
A bust of Martin Luther King Jr. is pictured in Selma, Alabama.
Marking his birthday, MLK Day is a federal holiday observed on the third Monday of January each year.
Now that you're here, have a look back at 1968.
Martin Luther King Jr. and his lasting legacy
Looking back at his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech
CELEBRITY History
Martin Luther King Jr. was the most influential leader of the civil rights movement, leaving an indelible impact on American society and the world. Sadly, it has been more than 50 years since his assassination on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel. Despite the fact that his life was tragically cut short, his words and actions endure through his incredible legacy.
Click through the gallery to revisit significant moments from Dr. King's life and find out more about how his work still impacts us today.