The Incredible History Of Earth Day

Did you know that Earth Day is the largest non-secular holiday on Earth? Celebrating its 44th anniversary tomorrow, over a billion people around the world are expected to take part in some sort of activity related to improving the environment this week, according to the Earth Day Network.  

The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 was instrumental in leading to many of the environmental protections we enjoy today.  Senator Gaylord Nelson, considered one of the leaders of the modern environmental cause, picked April 22 in order to maximize participation on college campuses for what he conceived as an "environmental teach-in". He determined the week of April 19–25 was the best bet as it did not fall during exams or spring breaks (also, it did not conflict with religious holidays such as Easter or Passover). Expecting to reach hundreds of thousands of students in college towns across the U.S., the event drew 20 million people in major cities such as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Support for major change to environmental policy was so overwhelming, Congress ratified the EPA which began operation on December 2, 1970.

In 1990, Earth Day truly went global, with 200 million people in over 140 nations participating. While the debate rages over climate change and greenhouse gasses, there is no question, especially in Los Angeles, that our air and water is markedly better than it was in 1970.