"We have met the enemy and he is us"⁠⠀ A slogan from cartoonist Walt Kelly, promoting the first Earth Day, which took place fifty years ago today.⁠⠀ Co-ordinated by activist Denis Hayes, the event was conceived by US Senator Gaylord Nelson as a “national teach-in on the environment”, inspired by the grassroots protest movement of the 1960s.⁠⠀ On April 22, 1970, 20 million demonstrators and thousands of schools and local communities participated across America, marking a sea change in attitudes towards environmental protection.⁠⠀ Now a global event advocating policy change, education, and action on ecological issues, Earth Day is thought to mobilise as many as 1 billion people.⁠⠀ Swipe through or follow our bio link for gettyarchive coverage of the first ever Earth Day, from rallies held in Chicago and New York.⁠⠀ 📷: Paul Sequeira | Chicago Sun-Times collection/Chicago History Museum | Santi Visalli | Fred W. McDarrah | Lambert | Getty Images | #GettyImages25 #PreservingThePast #GettyA...