Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated in Memphis on This Day in 1968

The civil rights leader's death sparked unrest across the U.S. that left 43 dead and over 3,000 injured.

Mar. 16, 2026 at 4:09pm

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On April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. King's assassination triggered a wave of unrest in cities across the United States, resulting in the deaths of 43 people and injuring more than 3,000 others.

Why it matters

The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most prominent and influential civil rights leaders in American history, was a pivotal moment that shook the nation and accelerated the ongoing struggle for racial equality and justice.

The details

King, who was 39 years old at the time, was in Memphis to support a sanitation workers' strike when he was fatally shot by a sniper. The killing sparked widespread protests and riots in cities across the country, with the unrest resulting in significant loss of life and property damage.

On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
King's death triggered a wave of unrest in cities across the United States that killed 43 people and injured more than 3,000.

The players