Google Doodle Honors Martin Luther King, Jr.

Monday's Google Doodle honors the legendary civil rights activist Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as the nation celebrates with parades, marches and church sermons.

King was born on Jan. 15, 1929, and the federal holiday that celebrates his life falls on the third Monday in January. A gifted orator, King gave more than 2,500 speeches throughout his lifetime. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 35

King was raised in the shadow of racial segregation, attending segregated schools in Atlanta, Ga. A pastor and a distinguished scholar, King earned a Ph.D. from Boston University in 1955 and became a champion of the civil rights movement, serving on the executive committee for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1955, King led the first nonviolent civil rights demonstration in contemporary history with the 382-day Montgomery, Ala. bus boycott. The U.S. Supreme Court declared segregation on buses unconstitutional in 1956. Read more...