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Philadelphia committee
Philadelphia committee led by Benjamin Franklin attempts to regulate waste disposal and water pollution. -
Walden Published
Henry David Thoreau publishes Walden -
Ecology term coined
The term ecology is coined in German as Oekologie by Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel -
Acid rain term coined
The term acid rain is coined by Robert Angus Smith in the book Air and Rain -
Term Smog coined
The term smog is 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 -
First artificial Earth satellite
USSR launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite successfully placed in orbit around the Earth. This resulted in the great space race. -
First animals to return from space alive
Two monkeys were sent in to space by the US on a Jupiter missile. They were not the first animals to be send however, they were the first to survive. -
The first man in Space
USSR sent Yuri Gagarin who made a single orbit around the earth in a Vostok Spacecraft at more than 17,000 miles per hour. -
Silent Spring Published
Rachel Carson publishes Silent Spring -
First Woman in Space
Valentina Tereshkova, launched by the Soviet Union, became the first women ever to be launched into space. She circled the Earth 49 times during 3 days. She was reported injured in the landing. -
Earthrise
The Apollo 8 picture of Earthrise -
First Man on the Moon
US astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to step onto the moon. His teammate Edwin Aldrin joined him around 20 minutes later. -
Earth Day
First Earth Day – April 22. Millions of people gather in the United States for the first Earth Day. US Environmental Protection Agency established -
First Orbital Space Station
The soviet Union launched the first orbital station Salyut. Designed for a 6-month on orbit operational lifetime . -
1st Mars Landing
US spacecraft Viking 1 becomes the first to successfully land on Mars and send back images of the Red Planet. -
Space Shuttle
The US space shuttle Columbia, the first reusable manned spacecraft, makes its voyage. -
Ozone layer protection
Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer entered into force -
The Hubble
The Hubble is the first space telescope to be placed into orbit, at 547 kilometers (340 miles) from Earth.Thirteen meters (42 feet) long, Hubble revolutionizes astronomy, allowing scientists to observe the planets and most distant stars and galaxies. -
Kyoto Protocal
The Kyoto Protocol was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan in December. Countries commit to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide. -
Kyoto Protocol Rejection
U.S. rejects the Kyoto Protocol. -
Comet Landing
The European Space Agency places a small robot, Philae, on a comet more than 500 million kilometers from Earth. The first comet lander is part of a mission aiming to explore the origins of the Solar System. -
U.S. exists the Paris Agreement
U.S. announces it will cease participation in the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation. -
U.S. rejoins Paris Agreement
U.S. announces it will rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation.