Earth Day, an event to increase public awareness of the world’s environmental problems, is celebrated in the United States for the first time on April 22, 1970. Millions of Americans, including students from thousands of colleges and universities, participated in rallies, marches and educational programs across the country. 

Earth Day was the brainchild of Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, a staunch environmentalist who hoped to provide unity to the grassroots environmental movement and increase ecological awareness. “The objective was to get a nationwide demonstration of concern for the environment so large that it would shake the political establishment out of its lethargy,” Senator Nelson said, “and, finally, force this issue permanently onto the national political agenda.” 

For the complete article – history.com

1500 – Portuguese navigator Pedro Alvares Cabral discovered Brazil.

1509 – Henry VIII ascended to the throne of England upon the death of his father Henry VII.

1529 – Spain and Portugal divided the eastern hemisphere in the Treaty of Saragosa.

1745 – The Peace of Fussen was signed, restoring the status quo of Germany.

1792 – U.S. President George Washington proclaimed American neutrality in the war in Europe.

1861 – Robert E. Lee was named commander of Virginia forces.

1864 – The U.S. Congress passed legislation that allowed the inscription “In God We Trust” to be included on one-cent and two-cent coins.

1876 – The first official National League (NL) baseball game took place. Boston beat Philadelphia 6-5.

1889 – At noon, the Oklahoma land rush officially started as thousands of Americans raced for new, unclaimed land.

1898 – The first shot of the Spanish-American war occurred when the USS Nashville captured a Spanish merchant ship.

1914 – Babe Ruth made his pitching debut with the Baltimore Orioles.

1915 – At the Second Battle Ypres the Germans became the first country to use poison gas.

1915 – The New York Yankees wore pinstripes and the hat-in-the-ring logo for the first time.

1918 – British naval forces attempted to sink block-ships in the German U-boat bases at the Battle of Zeeburgge.

1930 – The U.S., Britain and Japan signed the London Naval Treaty, which regulated submarine warfare and limited shipbuilding.

1931 – Egypt signed the treaty of friendship with Iraq.

1931 – James G. Ray landed an autogyro on the lawn of the White House.

1944 – During World War II, the Allies launched a major attack against the Japanese in Hollandia, New Guinea.

1952 – An atomic test conducted in Nevada was the first nuclear explosion shown on live network television.

1954 – The U.S. Senate Army-McCarthy televised hearings began.

1967 – Randy Matson set a new world record with a shot put toss of 71 feet, and 5 1/2 inches in College Station, TX.

1970 – The first “Earth Day” was observed by millions of Americans.

1976 – Barbara Walters became first female nightly network news anchor.

1987 – The American Physical Society said that the “Star Wars” missile system was “highly questionable” and would take ten years to research.

1993 – The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was dedicated in Washington, DC.

1997 – In Lima, Peru government commandos storm and capture the residence of the Japanese ambassador ending a 126-day hostage crisis. In the rescue 71 hostages were saved. Those killed: one hostage (of a heart attack), two soldiers, and all 14 rebels.

1999 – The Watson Family received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2000 – ABC-TV aired a small portion of the Clinton-DiCaprio interview.

2002 – Filippino President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered a state of emergency in the city of General Santos in response to a series of bombing attacks the day before. The attacks were blamed on Muslim extremists.

2010 – The Boeing X-37 began its first orbital mission. It successfully returned to Earth on December 3, 2010.

on-this-day.com

The struggle and fight for Choice continues and probably will never end as long as Women are continually disrespected and treated as ill-equipped humans who are considered pre-existing conditions legally politically and medically because we can become pregnant … the idea that we don’t have a right to engage in family planning without permission, interrupt a pregnancy due to rape, incest, assault or maybe just maybe we aren’t ready is beyond my scope of understanding. It has become clearer in this era of trump; that some folks in Congress, men and unfortunately some women, don’t seem to get it; which is also beyond my understanding. The rant is real and as an older woman; we should advocate, support, and make sure the next generation of women …  All women in this world can make their own decisions with the doctor of their choice as unsafe abortions such as coat hangers, so-called abortion doctors and drugs are also a grim reality that women face at least once a month! We do NOT want women to have to choose those options! We must NOT revisit a time when desperation often resulted in rash decisions and despair, which then led to self-destruction as well as death.

~ Nativegrl77