EARTH DAY

• Sunday will be the 48th Earth Day, an event celebrated in 193 countries
worldwide, currently coordinated by the Earth Day Network.
• Earth Day's origins start with Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson, who was inspired to
organize the event after the Jan. 28, 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill. More than
three million gallons of oil spilled into the Santa Barbara Channel in the Pacific
Ocean, killing more than 10,000 animals. Nelson enlisted Stanford University
graduate Denis Hayes to assist in coordinating and organizing the event.
• The first Earth Day was held April 22, 1970. The New York Times estimated the
gather in in New York City had crowds of 20,000 people and more than 100,000
over the course of the day. Since New York City was home of most television
networks and several large publications, coverage of Earth Day was spread
nationally.
• Across the country, approximately 2,000 colleges and universities and
approximately 10,000 schools participated in the first Earth Day, according to
the Environmental Protection Agency. The first Earth Day was said to bring 20
million Americans together, pressuring the United States to prioritize
environmental issues.
• The first Earth Day's success didn't take President Richard Nixon by surprise,
having representatives around the country at events. On July 9, 1970, Nixon
proposed consolidating the environmental responsibilities of the U.S.
government into one agency, the EPA.
• In the nearly 50 years since its inception, Earth Day continues to influence the
environment on both local and international scales.
• In 1995, Nelson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in
recognition of his environmental work. He passed away in 2005 at the age of
89.