Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Nobel Peace Prize-winning leader of the American civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. Born on January 15, 1929 and assassinated on April 4, 1968, King is simultaneously one of the most revered and reviled figures in American history, admired by the free and the brave, hated and feared by the evil-minded.

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Martin Luther King Day was established as a national holiday in the United States in 1983 and officially celebrated for the first time on January 21, 1986. Martin Luther King, Jr. day happens on the third Monday in January. This year’s observance is on January 21.

King County (which renamed itself after Dr. King in 2005) is getting the celebration started early, hosting King County’s 2008 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration on Thursday, January 17, from noon to 1 pm at the Paramount Theater. Visitors to the theater can check out the county’s new 2008 calendars, get a commemorative button, listen to a free musical performance directed by Town Hall Seattle’s Spider Kedelsky and learn about the Employee Humanitarian Awards and Essay Award winners.

You can get more information about the ways King County honors the legacy of Dr. King by visiting their Martin Luther King, Jr. page. If you’d like to learn more about events on January 21, visit the MLK Seattle Celebration Committee’s site. And if you’re interested in learning more about Dr. King, his history and legacy, a good place to start is the Seattle Times’ MLK archive. [times].