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Then: April 4, 1968

scene of MLK assissination

April 4, 1968

A motel in Memphis. A hotel in Los Angeles. The streets of Baltimore, Chicago and Washington. Combat zones across Vietnam. The year 1968 shook with violence.

On Tues., April 9, the day of Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral, 2,500 people packed Macky Auditorium in tribute to the slain civil rights leader, shot the previous Thursday at Memphis’ Lorraine Motel, pictured. The New York Stock Exchange was still. Major League Baseball canceled opening day. Businesses across the U.S. opened late or not at all.

Photo by Everett Collection / Alamy Stock Photo