One person's big idea more than 30 years ago inspired this celebration of our planet

On April 22, people all over the world will take time out to celebrate and appreciate the Earth that we all share. Some will listen to speeches about the environment. Others will help clean up their communities. Your parents may even decide to take a day off from driving their air-polluting cars. Maybe you, your friends and your school have a plan to celebrate Earth Day, too. Have you ever wondered what inspired this celebration in the first place?

One Man's Big Idea
The idea for Earth Day came from one man, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin who was worried about pollution and the health of plants and animals. In 1969, Senator Gaylord Nelson decided that a special day to teach everyone about the things that needed changing in our environment could really help our planet.

Indian schoolchildren hold a poster during an Earth Day rally in New Delhi, India.

The idea quickly caught on and in 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated. More than 20 million people participated in cities all over the U.S. Since then, environmentalists have used the day to educate people about their role in protecting our planet.

A Global Celebration
Eventually, Earth Day became a global celebration marked by people all over the world. In 1990, 200 million people from 140 countries took part in marches, rallies, concerts, festivals, street fairs, clean-ups, planting and other environmental events on Earth Day. Last year, about 500 million people in every part of the world participated in Earth Day events!

Fighting Environmental Threats
Today, there are many forms of human-caused pollution that threaten the Earth. Among just a few are global warming (human-caused pollution that makes the world warmer) and threats to endangered animals, clean water, healthy forests and clean sources of energy. Your national and state governments debate and pass laws to protect our environment, but there's a lot you can do on your own to make the Earth a safer, cleaner place. Check out our Fix the World area to see how you can help our planet.