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Philadelphia committee
led by Benjamin Franklin attempts to regulate waste disposal and water pollution. -
Henry David Thoreau
publishes Walden -
The term ecology
coined in German as Oekologie by Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel -
The term acid rain
coined by Robert Angus Smith in the book Air and Rain -
The term smog
coined by Henry Antoine Des Voeux in a London meeting to express concern over air pollution -
National Park Service
US Congress created the National Park Service -
The Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified
It declares: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” -
The National Recovery Act
forbids more than one family member from holding a government job, resulting in many women losing their jobs. -
Silent Spring
Rachel Carson publishes Silent Spring -
The Equal Pay Act
passed by Congress, promising equitable wages for the same work, regardless of the race, color, religion, national origin or sex of the worker. -
Executive Order 11246
Prohibits sex discrimination by government contractors and requires affirmative action plans for hiring women. -
Earthrise
The Apollo 8 picture of Earthrise -
First Earth Day
Millions of people gather in the United States for the first Earth Day. US Environmental Protection Agency established -
Eisenstadt v. Baird, 405 U.S. 438
the Supreme Court rules that the right to privacy encompasses an unmarried person’s right to use contraceptives -
Title IX (Public Law 92-318) of the Education Amendments
prohibits sex discrimination in all aspects of education programs that receive federal support -
Roe v. Wade
The U.S. Supreme Court declares that the Constitution protects women’s right to terminate an early pregnancy, thus making abortion legal in the U.S -
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act
bans employment discrimination against pregnant women -
Montreal Protocol
Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer entered into force -
Congress adopts the Gender Equity in Education Act
to train teachers in gender equity, promote math and science learning by girls, counsel pregnant teens, and prevent sexual harassment -
The Violence Against Women Act
Funds services for victims of rape and domestic violence, allows women to seek civil rights remedies for gender-related crimes, provides training to increase police and court officials’ sensitivity and a national 24-hour hotline for battered women. -
The Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan in December. Countries commit to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide -
Kyoto Protocol
U.S. rejects the Kyoto Protocol -
Paris Agreement
U.S. announces it will cease participation in the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation -
Paris Agreement
U.S. announces it will rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation