The iconic civil rights leader was known for his public speaking and ability to inspire people, but how much do you know about the man himself?
Toby Massey/AP
Martin became King's name only when he turned 5 years old. What was his birth name?
Marcus
Michael
Donald
David
File photo/AP
King's birthday, January 15, is one of only two birthdays of famous Americans observed as a federal holiday -- whose is the other?
Benjamin Franklin's
Thomas Jefferson's
Christopher Columbus's
George Washington's
File photo/AP
What was one of King's first job?
Janitor
Newspaper boy
Soda shop clerk
Secretary
Andrew Young/AP
At what age did King enter college?
13
15
18
20
AP
How many honorary degrees does King have?
4
22
30
18
File photo/AP
In 1964, at the age of 35, King became the youngest winner of what major award?
Peabody Award
Pulitzer Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post
Which of these famous quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. inspired the design of the memorial created in his honor in Washington?
“With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.”
"Free at last, free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last."
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
"Let freedom ring."
Charles Kelly/AP
True or false: King has a Grammy award?
True
False
Michael S. Williamson/ The Washington Post
After being jailed for violating an anti-protest injunction, King wrote a famous letter that was smuggled out of his cell and published. From which jail did King write this letter?
Birmingham, Alabama
Atlanta, Georgia
Boston, Massachuestts
Houston, Texas
Warren K. Leffler/ Library of Congress
King heavily lobbied for and championed what became the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Which president signed it into law?
Ronald Reagan
John F. Kennedy
Jimmy Carter
Lyndon B. Johnson
Kevin D. Liles/ for The Washington Post
True or false: Reverend Raphael Warnock, a U.S. senator-elect from Georgia, is the pastor of a church where King was formerly a pastor.
True
False