Martin Luther King Jr., a reverend and civil-rights activist, was assassinated at 39. However, he inspired several movements and political changes.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed each year on the third Monday in January. Here is a look at what’s open and closed today in the Lehigh Valley. Federal government: All nonessential federal government offices and courts are closed. State, county, local government: State offices in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are closed.

In 1983, about 20 years after King's "I Have a Dream" speech, legislation for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the third Monday of January cleared Congress and President Ronald Reagan signed it