The History of Earth Day

Earth Day started in the 1970's when a Wisconsin senator by the name of Gaylord Nelson proposed the first nation wide environmental protest. In that time, the toxic fumes and pollution coming from the nivate lifestyles of the Americans was thought to be a sign of prosperity. On April 22nd, two million Americans took to the streets in coast-to-coast rallies organized and led by Dennis Hayes. In 1970, Earth Day received needed political alignment with the help of many democrats and republicans, rich and poor. As a result, Senator Nelson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In the expectation of the 1990's, Nelson organized a world wide Earth Day with over two hundred million participants in one hundred forty one countries. As the turn of the century lingered near, he headed another campain for global warming and clean energy.