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Philadelphia committee led by Benjamin Franklin attempts to regulate waste disposal and water pollution
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American Revolution
The United States get their independence from Britain -
Walden
Henry David Thoreau publishes Walden -
American Civil War
The U.S. goes into civil war between north and south -
Slavery Abolished
Slavery in the United States is abolished. -
ecology
The term ecology is coined in German as Oekologie by Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel -
acid rain
The term acid rain is coined by Robert Angus Smith in the book Air and Rain -
Spanish American War
The U.S. and Spain go to war for a short time over the sinking of an American ship in Cuba. -
smog
The term smog is coined by Henry Antoine Des Voeux in a London meeting to express concern over air pollution -
World War 1
The U.S. enters the Great War. -
National Park Service
US Congress created the National Park Service -
World War 2
The U.S. plays a major role in defeating Nazi Germany. -
Silent Spring
Rachel Carson publishes Silent Spring -
Segregation Abolished
The U.S. makes segregation illegal. -
Apollo 8
The Apollo 8 picture of Earthrise -
First Earth Day
April 22. Millions of people gather in the United States for the first Earth Day. US Environmental Protection Agency established -
Vietnam War
The U.S. fights in the Vietnam War. -
Montreal Protocol
Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer entered into force -
The Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan in December. Countries commit to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide -
U.S. rejects the Kyoto Protocol
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Attacks of September 11th
The USA is attack by terrorists at the Twin Towers, Pentagon, and in Stoystown, Pennsylvania -
Iraq War
The US invades Iraq to over throw Saddam Hussein, a terrorist leader and possible orchestrator of the 9/11 attacks. -
Paris Agreement
U.S. announces it will cease participation in the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation -
rejoin the Paris Agreement
U.S. announces it will rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation