Which disaster indirectly led to the founding of Earth Day?

Answer 1

If any particular disaster led directly or indirectly to the founding of Earth Day, it was probably a massive oil spill that occurred in 1969 near Santa Barbara, California. In the event, a ruptured pipe on an oil platform six miles offshore released an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 barrels of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean, fouling a miles-long stretch of the coastline and killing an estimated 10,000 aquatic birds.

The principal founder of Earth Day was Sen. Gaylord Nelson, a Democrat from Wisconsin. Always a passionate advocate for the environment, Nelson traveled to California to see the damage caused by the oil spill. The experience disturbed him deeply, and he stepped up his efforts to establish a day of awareness of the environment. The first Earth Day was observed the following year, on April 22, 1970.