NORFOLK, Va. — His "I Have a Dream" speech is now one of the most famous in the world and one of the pillars of the civil rights movement.
In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became the youngest man to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Four years later, he was assassinated
But shortly after he died, a campaign was started to honor him by making his birthday a federal holiday.
Four days after Dr. King's assassination, Rep. John Conyers, who recently stepped down from his seat in Congress, introduced the first MLK day legislation.
Five years later in 1973, Illinois signed the first state King holiday bill into law.
The next year, Massachusetts and Connecticut joined, signing statewide King holidays.
New Jersey was the first state to make the day a paid holiday in honor of Dr. King.
In the next decade, Dr. King's late wife, Coretta Scott King, and Stevie Wonder presented petitions for the holiday with six million signatures.
Then, on Nov. 3, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the bill establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as we know it.
On Jan. 20, 1986, the country officially observed the holiday for the first time.
Today, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated in more than 100 countries across the globe.