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The Rev. Martin

Luther King Jr.

Social activist, pastor

Born: Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta

Died: Assassinated April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn.

Accomplishments: Led U.S. civil-rights movement. Emerged as a force in 1955, with the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott. A founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, 1957. Led the March on Washington, 1963. Nobel Prize, 1964.

Jimmy Carter

President, diplomat, author

Born: Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains, Ga.

Accomplishments: 39th president of the United States (1977 to 1981) in a term marked by unstable economic conditions, including rising inflation and unemployment, at home and a diplomatic crisis in Iran. Lost to Ronald Reagan after one term and became known for international diplomacy in such hot spots as North Korea and Haiti. Nobel Prize, 2002.

Dalai Lama

Tibetan spiritual leader

Born: 1935, Qinghai province, in what is now China.

Accomplishments: 14th Dalai Lama, became head of state in 1950, fled to India in 1959 when Chinese sent troops to stop an uprising. Nobel Prize, 1989. In October, received the Congressional Gold Medal. President Bush called him a "man of peace and reconciliation"; China said the honor undermined U.S.-China relations.