Updated

A yearlong series of events taking place ahead of the 50th anniversary of The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, has kicked off with the unveiling of a historical marker commemorating the civil rights leader's final flight.

Two aides and confidantes of King, Andrew Young and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, helped dedicate the marker Monday at Memphis International Airport.

King flew into Memphis 49 years ago — on April 3, 1968 — to support a sanitation workers strike. Eastern Airlines Flight 381 landed in Memphis late after the plane was delayed in Atlanta due to a bomb threat.

That night, King delivered the famed "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech at Mason Temple Church of God in Christ. He was assassinated the next day at the old Lorraine Motel.