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A few days ago (April 4th) marked the 40th anniversary of the death of the great civil rights crusader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the greatest Americans of all time, up there with Washington and Lincoln and FDR, for sure. He would have been 79 this year, and the world continues to mourn this giant. How sad it is, indeed, that he's not still with us.

The last speech he gave, in Memphis, TN, on the night before his murder was entitled, "I've Been to the Mountaintop." According to Andrew Young, former mayor of Atlanta and aid to King at that time, Dr. King had given this speech a few times before, always in the most tense and dangerous moments of the non-violent civil rights movement. At the time in early April, 1968, there were ominous signs that King's life was in danger. In fact, the FBI had been secretly taping him and following him for some time, and his aids were worried. He had just come back to march the next day in support of the Memphis garbage workers who were striking at the time. And then he gave his last speech. And then he was murdered the next day.

Most Americans only know his most famous speech, "I Have a Dream," but should also listen to all of his speeches, including his last: "I've Been to the Mountaintop." You can also download the speech here as an MP3.

Dr. King also appeared on "Meet the Press" on five occasions in the '60's leading up to his death and MSNBC has posted some of those (the video, entitled "A look back at MLK," can be accessed in the upper-right part of the page). Indeed, they are fascinating and worth your time, as well.

Finally, one of Martin Luther King's most famous quotes comes from his last speech: "Only when it's dark enough can you see the stars."

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