History of the Environmental Movement Timeline

George Perkins Marsh

Mar 15, 1801

George Perkins Marsh is considered a founding father of environmentalism, though he was best known for his theories on sustainability and human impact. Marsh was best known for his 1964 work, Man and Nature; later revised as The Earth as Modified by Human Action in 1874. He wrote about deforestation in the Mediterranean, and advised humanity to think carefully about disrupting natural balance, which will lead to resource scarcity. Sustainability stands today in modern ecology.

Henry David Thoreau

Jul 12, 1817

John Muir

Apr 21, 1838

Theodore Roosevelt

Oct 28, 1858

Theodore Roosevelt's conservation history began prior to his presidency, when he was a hunter of big game. He noted how overgrazing and habitat loss impacted species. After becoming president, he created the United States Forest Service. Theodore Roosevelt also set aside 230 million acres of public land: 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reserves, 4 national game preserves, 5 national parks, and 18 national monuments (via the American Antiquities Act).

Gifford Pinchot

Aug 11, 1865

Gifford Pinchot was an early conservationist, serving as chief of the Division of Forestry, and later the Chief of the Forest Service. Pinchot worked towards conservation and management of American forests. In 1905 (when he began serving), there were 60 forest reserves spanning 56 million acres; in 1910 (when he finished serving), there were 150 national forest reserves spanning 172 million acres.

Alice Hamilton

Feb 27, 1869

Alice Hamilton began her career as a doctor in a time when few women were in STEM fields. She wanted to specialize in bacteriology and/or pathology. She became deeply involved in industrial toxicology, treating occupational diseases. Hamilton studied the effects of lead poisoning on workers and encouraged the observation of workplace conditions, later inspiring others in the field of worker's safety and health.

Establishment of Yellowstone National Park

Mar 1, 1872

Yellowstone National Park was the first national park to be established. President Grant signed a bill to set aside the 1,221,773 acres of public land. The act popularized the idea of national parks, and millions of other acres of natural habitat have been set aside and protected since. The national parks provide a way for people to learn about the environment, offer scientific opportunity, creates environmental jobs, and leaves protected untouched wilderness for native species.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Jan 30, 1882

Aldo Leopold

Jan 11, 1887

Lacey Act

May 25, 1900

Establishment of the First National Wildlife Refuge [Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge]

Mar 14, 1903

Founding of the United States Forest Service

Feb 1, 1905

USDA Forest Service was founded.

Antiquities Act

Jun 8, 1906

Rachel Carson

May 27, 1907

Founding of the U.S. National Park Service

Aug 25, 1916

Jimmy Carter

Oct 1, 1924

Jimmy Carter created the Department of Energy; further establishing national energy policy that would cover conservation and support new technology. Carter passed the: Soil and Water Conservation Act, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, made amendments on the Clean Air Act, the National Energy Act, the Antarctic Conservation Act, the Endangered American Wilderness Act, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (which conserved 100 million acres) and the Superfund Act.

Edward Abbey

Jan 29, 1927

Establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps

Apr 5, 1933

The CCC public relief program lasted from 1933 to 1942. Made in an attempt to lessen the Great Depression, the CCC provided people with a job often related to conservation and resource management. Environmentally, nearly 3 billion trees were planted, facilities were constructed and updated in most state parks and 800 parks nationwide, and altered forest fighting methods. This helped reforest America, providing lost habitat, and bring conservation to a wider American awareness.

Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act [Duck Stamp Act]

Mar 16, 1934

The Dust Bowl [Named after "Black Sunday" event]

Apr 14, 1935

The Dust Bowl took place throughout the 1930s, with three drought waves. Native prairie grasses had been cleared for agriculture, leading to widespread wind erosion and subsequently huge 'dust' storms. The storms increased in occurrence leading up to the Black Sunday event, which is when the Dust Bowl was named. The dust smothered other life after laying, also negatively impacting soil quality, productivity, and air quality. The Dust Bowl serves as an exmaple of desertification.

Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act [Pittman-Robertson Act]

Sep 2, 1937

Came into effect on 1July, 1938.

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act

Jun 25, 1938

The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act is a set of laws inspired by the elixir sulfanilamide disaster, in which roughly 100 patients were poisoned and killed by a compound used to dissolve the drug into liquid form. At the time, there was no requirement for premarket drug testing. The FFDCA establishes limits for additives in food, drugs, or cosmetics, and gives the FDA the power to manage products. Products must satisfy FDA regulations prior to sale, assuring consumers of product safety.

Al Gore

Mar 31, 1948

Wilderness Act

Sep 3, 1964

Clean Air Act

Nov 21, 1967

Unregulated industrial activity lead to a lot of environmental complications, including high levels of pollution. In places, air pollution became so bad that smog laid over cities, decreasing visibility and negatively impacting public health. The Clean Air Act controls air pollutants by enacting regulations on sources of all air pollutants. The regulations significantly improved public health, especially in respiratory cases, and decreased mortality rates.

Burning of the Cuyahoga River

Jun 22, 1969

The Cuyahoga River was one of the most polluted rivers in America, near completely devoid of life with the exception of one algae species. Sewage and industrial affluent was pumped directly into the waterway. The pollutants in the river caught fire several times: the most famed occurrence was in 1969, but the river 'burned' before this point. It cost millions of dollars in damages as boats, bridges, and even riverside buildings burned. Several acts and agencies were created partly in response.

National Environmental Policy Act

Jan 1, 1970

First Earth Day

Apr 22, 1970

Occupational Safety and Health Act

Dec 29, 1970

Effective 28 April 1971, this act created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which worked to provide safe and healthy worker environments through regulation, education, and assistance. At the time, there was increasing public awareness and outcry about dangers in the workplace. After the OSHA's creation, worker deaths, injury rates, and injury costs reduced significantly.

Clean Water Act

Oct 18, 1972

The CWA was first enacted in 1948 as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Then, it was rewritten in 1972. It was further amendded several times; examples being the CWA of 1977 and the Water Quality Act of 1987.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora [CITES]

Mar 3, 1973

Entered into force on 1 July 1975.

OPEC Oil Embargo Begins

Oct 17, 1973

Endangered Species Act

Dec 28, 1973

The Endangered Species Act was inspired in part by the dwindling population of large birds, including the bald eagle, as a result of DDT contamination. The act defined “endangered” and “threatened," as well as offering protection to native flora and fauna and the habitats they rely on for survival. The act allotted money for the purchase of critical habitat by the federal government. The effectiveness of the ESA is debated; few species make fully recovery, but ~98% avoided extinction thus far.

Love Canal Incident

Aug 2, 1978

The Love Canal Incident buildup, discovery, and cleanup took place over the span of several decades. It took two more years before all families were evacuated (the date provided is when pregnant women and young children were publicly advised to evacuate, pre-government aid).

Three Mile Island Accident

Mar 28, 1979

Three Mile Island was a partial nuclear reactor meltdown caused by mechanical and human error. The accident took place in Middletown, PA and resulted in the leak of radioactive gases and iodine into the surrounding environment. It was said that the radioactivity was not a threat to health, but the reactor remained unapproachable for some time. More so, the accident caused public opinion to tip against nuclear energy, and the industry growth slowed significantly.

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act [Superfund]

Dec 11, 1980

Amended on October 17,1986 by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act.

Bhopal [Union Carbide] Disaster

Dec 2, 1984

Occured over the night of December 2-3, 1984.

Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster

Apr 26, 1986

Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act [EPCRA]

Oct 17, 1986

Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

Sep 16, 1987

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Mar 24, 1989

Oil Pollution Act

Aug 18, 1990

The Oil Pollution Act was passed the year after the Exxon Valdez marine oil spill, which spilled nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil. Three smaller oil spills followed suit, prompting the passage of the Oil Pollution Act, which: enforces removal of spilled oil, stores funds to clean up oil spills where the liable party cannot do so, defines liability for oil spills, and requires oil vessels and storage facilities to create plans. Since, $2 billion has been given by liable parties for damages.

Kyoto Protocol

Dec 11, 1997

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill [BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill]

Apr 20, 2010