Today’s Google logo marks Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday recognizing the civil rights leader. The illustrated logo includes a profile of Martin Luther King, Jr., images of doves to represent King’s 1964 Nobel Peace Prize, and the Lincoln Memorial where King made his iconic “I Have a Dream” civil rights speech.
Michigan Congressman John Carver introduced the original bill to make King’s January 15 birthday a federal holiday shortly after King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, but the bill failed to be enacted into law for a number of years.
Finally, on November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the bill honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. with a federal holiday to be celebrated on the third Monday of every January. Even though the bill was signed in 1983, the holiday was not observed until three years later in 1986.
Born on January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister and civil rights leader from Atlanta, Georgia. King dedicated his life to building a more peaceful, racially integrated United States. He helped create the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. In 1964, King was honored with a Nobel Peace Prize.
King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee by James Earl Ray. He was only 39 years old at the time of his death.
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