Born on January 15, 1929, MLK was an activist and a very important leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Starting out as a bishop, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He is best known for using nonviolent civil disobedience to pursue his causes, a technique he adopted from Gandhi. His top achievements include leading the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helping form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president. King is best remembered for giving his "I Have a Dream" speech, during his famous march on Washington. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. But King will always be known as a national icon in the history of American progressivism.​