From Wikipedia:
Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was a Baptist minister and activist who was the most famous leader of the Civil Rights Movement. King won the Nobel Peace Prize and Presidential Medal of Freedom before being assassinated in 1968. For his promotion of non-violence and racial equality, King is considered a peacemaker and martyr by many people around the world. Martin Luther King Day was established in his honor.