Video: 'Ronald Reagan signs the MLK holiday bill into law.'

(Wednesday, November 2, 1983) — U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed a bill today establishing a federal holiday on the third Monday of January in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. It was observed for the first time on Jan. 20, 1986.

Video: 'Nov. 2, 1983: Reagan Approves MLK Day'