The History of Earth Day in Pictures
Happy Earth Day everyone! In commemoration of this great holiday, we're looking back on the history of Earth Day in images.
Here is John McConnell, the founder of Earth Day, with the "Flag of the Earth". While, this is not the official flag for Earth Day, it is often associated with environmental awareness and climate change. McConnell was a famed peace activist that proposed the idea of Earth Day to the UN in the 1970s. His Earth Day is typically celebrated on the first day of spring with the ringing of the UN peace bell.
Senator Gaylord Nelson is also known as a founder of Earth Day. His Earth Day was meant to focus more on the US and is typically celebrated on April 22.
Below is a photo of the Japanese peace bell in the Main Plaza in Vienna, Austria. This bell rings simultaneously with a bell at the UN headquarters in New York at 7:25pm on the First Equinox to celebrate Earth Day.
In 1990, the Earth Day 20 International Peace Climb was created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Earth Day. The goal of this expedition was to climb Mt. Everest and was the first time mountaineers from the US, Russia and China climbed together. On their journey the group collected over two tons of trash left behind from other expeditions.
Here's a video of Earth Day from 2010 on the National Mall in Washington, DC., showing how much Earth Day has grown and its significance today:
