Earth Day

The american celebration of the environment began on April 22, 1970, with activities from coast to coast in dedication of a renewed concern for land, water, and air. Earth Day was initiated, in part, by the moon landings and in particular from emotions stirred by the first photograph of the earth from space. Earth Day was the inspiration of Senator Gaylord Nelson (D–WI) who spent the previous eight years deeply concerned about the state of the physical environment, wanting to take action to rectify the damage. In 1962, Senator Nelson convinced President John F. Kennedy to conduct a national conservation tour to bring the issues of a degrading environment into prominent national view. The president began the tour in September 1963, but his efforts did ...