Athlete Bob Beamon sets a new record in the indoor long jump when he leaps 27 feet, 2.75 inches.

Rev. Walter Fauntroy, a former aide to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., becomes the first non-voting Congressional delegate from the District of Columbia since Reconstruction.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivers his final address, entitled "I've Been to the Mountaintop," at Bishop Charles J. Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee.

Civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Riots break out in more than 100 cities across the country and the National Guard is brought out to quell rebellion. President Lyndon Johnson declares April 6 to be a national day of mourning and orders all flags on government buildings to fly at half-mast.

President Lyndon Johnson signs a civil rights act that will come to be known as the 1968 Housing Act. The act outlaws discrimination in the sale, rental or leasing of 80 percent of US housing. It also protects civil rights workers and makes it a federal crime to cross state lines with the intention of starting a riot.

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 on this date in Washington, D.C. The act is also referred to as the Housing Rights Act of 1968. It banned racial discrimination in housing and included an anti-rioting provision. The act was signed two days after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s funeral.

The Poor Peoples Campaign arrived in Washington, D.C. on this date. A shanty town called "Resurrection City" was erected as a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was assassinated a month earlier.

The city of Memphis, Tennessee settled its sanitation strike on this date, six weeks after Dr. King was assassinated.

Henry Lewis became the first African American musical director of a major U.S. orchestra on this date. He directed the New Jersey Symphony. Lewis's musical conducting career spands five decades.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassin James Earl Ray was captured and arrested at a London airport on this date. Ray was convicted and sentenced to 99 years in prison for killing Dr. King.

Black tennis pioneer Arthur Ashe won the U.S. Open Singles Tennis Championship on this date.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Robert C. Weaver dedicated the new HUD headquarters building on this date. Weaver was the first Black U.S. Cabinet member.

Maisha Handy was born on this date in Chicago, Illinois.

Actor and rapper Will Smith was born on this date in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Smith began his career as a rapper in the duo, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. This group won the first ever Grammy Award for a rap category. Smith, then began an acting career, starring in his own sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He went on to become a film actor, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in the film Ali. Some of his other film credits include Men In Black, I, Robot, and Independence Day.

The play, The Great White Hope, by Howard Sackler debuted on Broadway on this date in New York City. James Earl Jones starred in the lead role. He also reprised his part in the film adaptation of the hit play. Jones received an Academy Award nomination for his role in the film adaptation.

Evangelist Solomon Lightfoot Michaux died on this date in Washington, D.C.

The city of Chicago officially recognizes Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable as the founder of the city.

Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress on this date in New York.