Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which celebrates the life and legacy of the American civil rights activist.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the third Monday of January each year to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr., who was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1954 until his death in 1968. The holiday is similar to holidays set under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which requires state and local government offices to be closed on Mondays, unless that day is Columbus Day or Veterans Day.
Today marks the first time since 1987 that Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on a Monday, as it has been observed on January 20th every year since 1986. The last time it fell on a Monday was in 1983, when Ronald Reagan signed into law legislation making it a federal holiday.
