Need to know: top 10 facts about Earth Day

1. The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, in the United States, marking the birth of the modern environmental movement;
2. Earth Day was founded by Gaylord Nelson, a US senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the fallout from an oil spill in California in 1969;
3. The date of April 22 was chosen to maximize the greatest college student participation as it fell between Spring Break and Final Exams;
4. The first Earth Day inspired 20 million Americans to take to the streets to demonstrate against the impact of 150 years of industrial development, which left a growing legacy of serious human health impacts;
5. Earth Day went global in 1990, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries;
6. Today, Earth Day Network, the organizer of Earth Day, say that 1 billion people mark Earth Day each year, while more than 190 countries have joined the movement;
7. Earth Day was renamed officially by the UN in 2009 as International Mother Earth Day
8. The aim of Earth Day is to empower people with information, the tools, the messages and the communities needed to make an impact and drive change to protect the planet and mitigate climate change;
9. The theme of Earth Day 2020 was climate change;
10. Earth Day 2020 marked the first time it was celebrated virtually, with many of the world’s population in lockdown because of COVID-19.

Source: Earth Day Network – earthday.org