Commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day—that’s today—by learning a bit about the man who received the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. These are some of my favorite Web sites about King and the history of the movement:

Civil Rights, 1954 to 1963
This timeline links to King's “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and John F. Kennedy’s June 11, 1963, speech supporting passage of the Civil Rights Act.

The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow
This Web site for PBS’ program explains the laws that enforced segregation from the end of Reconstruction through the 1960s.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Birth Home Tour
Take a virtual tour of the home at Atlanta’s 501 Auburn Avenue, King was born Jan. 15, 1929.

Civil Rights Walk of Fame
Meet other leaders in the Civil Rights Movement.