| 1929 | Born to teacher Alberta King and Baptist minister Michael Luther King |
| 1944 | Graduates from high school at age 15 and enters Morehouse College |
| 1948 | Receives BA in Sociology at age 19 |
| 1951 | Receives degree from Crozer Theological Seminary |
| 1953 | Marries Coretta Scott, a music student at New England Conservatory; they eventually have four children |
| 1954 | Becomes minister of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL |
| 1955 | Receives Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Boston University; leads boycott of segregated Montgomery buses and gains national reputation |
| 1956 | King's house is bombed; US Supreme Court ruling prompts Montgomery to desegregate buses. |
| 1957 | King helps found Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) |
| 1958 | Writes about the bus boycott in Stride Toward Freedom |
| 1959 | Visits India to study nonviolence and civil disobedience |
| 1960 | Joins his father as co-pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta |
| 1963 | Arrested and jailed during anti-segregation protests in Birmingham; writes Letter from Birmingham City Jail arguing that individuals have the moral duty to obey unjust laws. Delivers "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington |
| 1964 | Publishes Why We Can't Wait; Congress passes Civil Rights Act of 1964 which outlaws segregation in public accommodations and discrimination in education and employment. Receives Nobel Peace Prize. |
| 1965 | King and SCLC join voting-rights march from Selma to Montgomery; police beat and tear gas marchers; King addresses rally before state capitol, builds support for voting rights. Congress passes Voting Rights Act of 1965 which suspends literacy tests and other restrictions to prevent blacks from voting |
| Mid 1960s | King's growing opposition to the Vietnam War angers President Johnson and prompts many white activists to switch to anti-war activities |
| 1966 | Growing popularity of the black power movement, blacks stressing self-reliance and self defense, indicates King's influence was declining, especially among young blacks. King turns towards economic issues; SCLC moves civil rights struggle to the North; opens Chicago office to organize protests against housing and employment discrimination |
| 1967 | King plans Poor People's Campaign; advocates redistribution of wealth to eradicate black poverty; publishes Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community |
| 1968 | King is assassinated in Memphis during a visit to supports striking black garbage collectors; violent riots erupt in more than 100 US cities. |