Courtesy and copyright of GlobalChange Data Lab.

Today is Earth Day – an annual event on to show  support for environmental protection. It was first held on 22 April 1970 after the disastrous Santa Barbara oil spill from a Union oil drilling platform dumped at least 3,000,000 gallons of crude – killing  birds, seagulls dolphins, and seals.

This prompted several organizers, helped by Wisconsin Senator  Gaylord Nelson who was appalled by an 800-sqaure-mile oil slick floating in the Santa Barbara Channel to start a renewed environmental movement.