Google honors Martin Luther King Jr. with new Doodle

Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Google honored Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday with a new Doodle on its search page highlighting the 26th anniversary of the federal holiday and day of service in his name.

The illustration by Pittsburgh-based artist Noa Denmon depicts watershed movements in the Civil Rights Movement that propelled King as the country's and one of the world's leading voices for racial equality.

"He spearheaded some of America's most groundbreaking demonstrations in the name of racial justice," Google said. "Among these were the Montgomery Bus Boycotts from 1955 to 1956 -- peaceful protests which were considered the country's first mass demonstration against segregation -- and the Selma to Montgomery March across the Edmund Pettus bridge in 1965 where protesters marched to demand an end to voter registration discrimination.

King's "I Have a Dream" speech during the historic 1963 March on Washington drew some 250,000 people to the Lincoln Memorial.

"Dr. King played a key role in the passage transformative American legislation, from the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which outlawed public segregation and employment discrimination, to the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which implemented sweeping changes to combat the disenfranchisement of voters based on race," Google said.

King became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 at 35.

"Today and every day, people of all ages honor his legacy by pouring into their communities and taking action to build a better future," Google said.