Martin Luther King Jr. is killed by a single rifle shot on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, where he had come to support striking sanitation workers.
At a Glance
- Date
- 4 April 1968
- Location
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Key people
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Category
- Civil Rights Movement
- Source
- Contemporary press; National Civil Rights Museum · National Civil Rights Museum
What It Meant Then
His murder set off uprisings in more than 100 cities and accelerated passage of the Fair Housing Act.
What It Means Now
The Lorraine Motel is now the National Civil Rights Museum.
Also on 4 April
Cite this page
- MLA
- “The Assassination of Dr. King.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-assassination-of-dr-king/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). The Assassination of Dr. King. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-assassination-of-dr-king/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “The Assassination of Dr. King.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-assassination-of-dr-king/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.