Earth Day was founded in 1970. It is a day to learn about nature and the planet. Today, Earth Day is celebrated around the world.
Earth Day was created by Senator Gaylord Nelson who hoped to raise the awareness （意识） of pollution. He thought this would make people care about the planet.Gaylord Nelson was a senator （参议院） from Wisconsin. He wanted everyone to know the planet was in danger. At that time, some college students were protesting （抗议）. They wanted the US to end its war in Vietnam. Nelson was encouraged by these protests and dreamed of a large event about protecting the earth. It would make people take the problem seriously. Nelson shared his idea in 1969. He invited the whole country to join. Letters and telephone calls came in from everywhere. He felt people really cared about what happened to the planet. Earth Day gave them a way to show it.
The first Earth Day was celebrated in April 22nd, 1970. It raised the awareness of environmental problems. About eight months later, the Environmental Protection Agency was created for the purpose of protecting humans' health and the environment.
Since 1970, Earth Day events have grown. In 1990, 200 million people in over 140 countries took part. In 2000, more people got involved. Today, more than 1 billion people celebrate Earth Day. It is one of the largest events （事件） in the world.
