Which two American leaders were assassinated in 1968?

• A. Malcolm X and George Wallace
• B. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy
• C. Medgar Evers and Malcolm X
• D. Thurgood Marshall and Rosa Parks

Answer: (B)

In 1968, two major American leaders were assassinated, shaking the nation and influencing the direction of civil rights and politics. Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister and a leading figure in the nonviolent civil rights movement, was killed in Memphis in April 1968. Robert F. Kennedy, former Attorney General and senator who had been a rising force in national politics, was killed in Los Angeles in June 1968. The other individuals listed were killed in different years or, in one case, survived a later attempt. Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965, Medgar Evers in 1963, Thurgood Marshall died in 1993, Rosa Parks in 2005, and George Wallace survived an assassination attempt in 1972.