Q 01/05

In what year was the first Earth Day celebrated?

A) 1962

B) 1970

C) 1975

D) 1985

Answer · why

B) 1970

The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, with demonstrations at thousands of colleges and schools across the United States; it is widely credit...

Q 02/05

Which US senator from Wisconsin is credited with founding Earth Day?

A) Gaylord Nelson

B) William Proxmire

C) Edmund Muskie

D) Eugene McCarthy

Answer · why

A) Gaylord Nelson

Gaylord Nelson is said to have been spurred by a vast 1969 oil slick he saw from an airplane; he hired 25-year-old Denis Hayes to turn the idea into a...

Q 03/05

Which U.S. federal body began operating in December of the same year as the first Earth Day?

A) Department of Energy

B) Environmental Protection Agency

C) Council on Environmental Quality

D) Fish and Wildlife Service

Answer · why

B) Environmental Protection Agency

The Environmental Protection Agency opened on December 2, 1970, pulling pollution programs scattered across several federal departments into one agenc...

Q 04/05

What date is Earth Day celebrated each year?

A) March 21

B) April 22

C) May 5

D) June 5

Answer · why

B) April 22

Earth Day falls on April 22; organizers wanted maximum college turnout, so they picked a date between spring break and final exams. Peace activist Joh...

Q 05/05

Approximately how many Americans took part in the first Earth Day?

A) 200,000

B) 2 million

C) 20 million

D) 60 million

Answer · why

C) 20 million

About 20 million Americans took part, roughly one in ten at the time; what had been pitched as a campus event filled streets, parks and auditoriums fr...