April 4, 1968Reputable sourceWell documented
The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
On the timeline · around April 4, 1968 ·
What happened
On 4 April 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. was shot dead on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, where he had come to support striking sanitation workers. His killing set off grief and outbreaks of unrest in cities across the country.
Why it matters
King's assassination robbed the movement of its most powerful voice, even as the ideals he championed became woven ever deeper into American life.