April 22, 2019 marks the 49th annual Earth Day! Below, read 11 facts about Earth Day that maybe you didn’t know!
- The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970.
- Earth Day originated in the US but became recognized worldwide by 1990.
- On Earth Day 2009, Disney released a documentary film called Earth that followed the migration paths of four animal families.
- On the very first Earth Day, 20 million people gathered in the streets of America to protest the industrial revolution. An environmental movement was born as a result.
- Every year on April 22, men, women, and children collect garbage, plant trees, clean up coral reefs, show movies, sign petitions, and plan for a better future for our planet.
- Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day while he was working as a US senator.
- Earth Day was renamed officially by the UN in 2009 as International Mother Earth Day.
- Some schools and communities celebrate Earth Day for a whole week to expand the time frame that people focus on the earth and how they can preserve it.
- On Earth Day 2012, more than 100,000 people rode bikes in China to reduce CO2 emissions and save fuel.
- In an Earth Day celebration in 2011, 28 million trees were planted in Afghanistan by the Earth Day Network.
- In Panama, 100 endangered species of orchids were planted and maintained to prevent their extinction in honor of Earth Day.
Source: https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-earth-day
