On Apr. 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was held and the modern environmental movement was born. A proposal to establish “Earth Day” was submitted the previous Oct. by John McConnell to Peter Tamaris with the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Gaylord Nelson, a Democratic Senator from Wisconsin was instrumental in founding Earth Day as a teach-in and to “force this issue onto the national agenda.” 20 million Americans demonstrated across the nation.

Senator Nelson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton in 1995 — the highest honor given to civilians in the United States — for his role as Earth Day founder.