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Oct 12, 1492
Christopher Columbus discovers America
He was determined to find a direct water route from Europe to Asia, but ended up stumbling upon America. -
Philadelphia committee led by Benjamin Franklin attempts to regulate waste disposal and water pollution.
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Boston Tea Party
Tea crates were pushed over the sides of ships in Boston Harbor to protest against taxes. -
Adoption of Declaration of Independence
the Continental Congress in Philadelphia adopts Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence. -
George Washington became president
George Washington, standing on the balcony of Federal Hall, took his oath of office as the first President of the United States. -
Henry David Thoreau publishes Walden
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Civil War
Confederates open fire on Fort Sumter. Less than 34 hours later, Union forces surrendered. -
Civil War ends
The Civil War ends and Abraham Lincoln was assassinated a few days later. -
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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Great Depression
Wall Street crashes. began with the crash of the stock market on "Black Thursday". -
World War ll
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor and the United States enters World War II. -
Rachel Carson publishes Silent Spring
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The Apollo 8 picture of Earthrise
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Martin Luther King assassination
Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. -
First time landing on moon
Apollo 11 took 2 men to the surface of the moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. -
Earth Day – April 22., 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
