On April 22, 1864, the US Congress passed the Coinage Act, mandating the inscription of "In God We Trust" on all coins minted as US currency. On this day in 1870, Lenin was born and in 1954, the Army-McCarthy Hearings began. In 64', New York World's Fair opened for its first season and in 1970, April 22 was named as the day to celebrate the environment. Today is Earth Day.
In 1970, then Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson announced there would be a national grassroots demonstration on the preservation of the environment on Wednesday, April 22. This partcular day was chosen by Nelson simply for its convenience. College students, a primary target of celebrators, are not away on spring break or celebrating Passover or Easter. It is not yet final exam time but warm enough weather for outdoor activities. This day marks the beginning of the modern environmental movement, as 20 million Americans participated with a goal of healthy, sustainable environment.
Among the developments from Earth Day is the Ecology Flag, an adaptation of the American flag with 13 green and white stripes and a combination of the letters "E" and "O" in the upper left in reference to "Environment" and "Organism." The symbold happened to resemble the Greek letter theta and so, with its historical symbolism as a warning (like the skull and crossbones), the theta was adopted as the official symbol for the flag, warning the public of the impending harm being done to our environment.
Thirty-nine years after Earth Day's inception, initiatives are being enacted all over the world. Green Apple Festival celebrated a weekend of environmental volunteerism across the nation last weekend that culminated in a concert Sunday night. Earth Day Canada has lists of events anyone can register for and Earth Day Jam is now an annual concert in the Philippines. Even our government is celebrating in their own coincidental way as the first Climate Change Bill was circulated through Congress yesterday.
Happy Earth Day!