8. 1970 saw the introduction of a new day of observance in America
April 22, 1970, was the first time Earth Day was observed in the United States. It has since grown to encompass over 190 countries, and is the largest secular holiday in the world. On April 22, 1970, 2,000 colleges and universities in the United States held events to recognize the environment and humanity’s role in protecting it. Approximately ten thousand high schools and primary schools joined in, as did hundreds of cities, villages, and towns across the United States. Observances were held in New York, home of the three major television networks, and their activities thus found a national audience.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency more than 20 million people in the United States took part in the observances of the first Earth Day. President Nixon and his wife Pat observed the day by planting a tree on the White House lawn. The day came about as a result of increased awareness of litter, waste management, oil spills, pollution of American waterways, pollution of the air, and other environmental issues. American cartoonist Walt Kelly drew a banner for the first day on which his character Pogo proclaimed once again, “We have met the enemy and he is us”.