Sure, it's Earth Day, but what else do you know about April 22?

Here's a list of dozens of things that happened on April 22 in past year that (mostly) bear no relation to Earth Day. It was the 19th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet in 1145, for example, and the Senate Army-McCarthy televised hearings began in 1954. Wikipedia's list of April 22nd happenings includes notable births (Jack Nicholson, Queen Isabella) as well as some history: "After learning that Soviet forces have taken Eberswalde without a fight, Adolf Hitler admits defeat in his underground bunker and states that suicide is his only recourse."

With all that's happened on April 22, it's clear that the most celebrated April 22nd is the one that first happened in 1970 and gave us Earth Day ever since. I think that speaks to the power of the ideas behind this day. Of course, as the Library of Congress reminds us, Earth Day is not the first to mark setting aside a day for natural recognition. From the site: "Both Arbor Day and Bird Day were established in the late 1800s to support forestation, conservation, and the appreciation of nature. Native American peoples have long recognized and celebrated in story and song the interdependence of the earth and all her creatures." And, as the slogan says, we can make every day Earth Day.

P.S. - Today also marks AutoblogGreen's first birthday. More on that in a bit.

[Source: Wikipedia, LOC]