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Philadelphia committee led by Benjamin Franklin attempts to regulate waste disposal and water pollution.
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Henry David Thoreau publishes Walden, a reflection on simple living in natural surroundings.
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The term ecology is coined in German as Oekologie by Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel
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The term acid rain is coined by Robert Angus Smith in the book Air and Rain
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The term smog is coined by Henry Antoine Des Voeux in a London meeting to express concern over air pollution
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US Congress created the National Park Service
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Harry Truman issues the Executive Order 9981 to end segregation in the Armed Services.
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Brown v. Board ended segregation in public schools, many schools however still segregated their students.
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Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. This spurred the year-long bus boycotts.
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Nine black students known as the "Little Rock Nine" were blocked from integrating into Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. Eisenhower eventually sent federal troops to escort the students. Harassment towards the students continued despite the efforts.
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Eisenhower signs the Civil Rights act of 1957 to help protect voter rights.This law allows federal prosecution of those who suppress another's right to vote.
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Four black college students in Greensboro, North Carolina refused to leave a "whites only" lunch counter without being served. The students were inspired by the nonviolent protest of Gandhi. This event sparked similar sit-ins throughout the city and other states.
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Rachel Carson publishes Silent Spring, documenting the adverse effects of pesticides
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About 250,000 people take part in the March on Washington for jobs and freedom. Martin Luther King gave his "I Have A Dream" speech as the closing address.
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Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, which prevents employment discrimination due to race, color, sex, religion, or national origin.
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Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to prevent the use of literacy tests as a voting requirement. This also allowed federal examiners to review voter qualifications and federal observers to monitor polling places.
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The Apollo 8 picture of Earthrise
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Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act, which provides equal housing opportunity regardless of race, religion, or national origin.
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millions of people gather in the United States for the first Earth Day organized by Gaylord Nelson, former senator of Wisconsin, and Denis Hayes, Harvard graduate student. US Environmental Protection Agency established
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Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer entered into force
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The Kyoto Protocol was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan in December. Countries that ratify this protocol commit to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases
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U.S. rejects the Kyoto Protocol
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U.S. announces it will cease participation in the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation
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U.S. announces it will rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation
