Earth Day | National Archives
Siskiyou National Forest in California; detail of a DOCUMERICA image. (National Archives ID 542848) The first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970. Recognized by many as the birth of the U.S. environmental movement, the nationwide demonstration spurred a dramatic rise in public concern about environmental issues. It also secured political action that led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by President Richard Nixon later that year and the passage of important environmental protection legislation including the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts th...
Source: archives.gov