logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2020
22m 15s

When the Environment United Us

The HISTORY® Channel | Back Pocket Studios
About this episode
April 22, 1970. Nearly 20 million Americans come out in solidarity for one of the largest mass movements of the century. It was called Earth Day. And 50 years later, we still celebrate this day. But in 1970, this call to action crossed the aisle and brought major change to Washington, a feat that seems almost impossible today. Why did that first-ever Earth D ... Show More
Up next
Oct 19
Venus, Earth’s Evil Twin
October 22, 1975. After traveling millions of miles through space, a Soviet spacecraft plunges through thick clouds of sulfuric acid to land on Venus. Its goal: take a photograph of another planet’s surface and send it back home—history’s first up-close glimpse at a world other t ... Show More
34m 6s
Oct 12
Audubon’s Birds Come Home to Roost
October 12, 1820. John James Audubon—a failed shopkeeper, grist miller, and steamboat investor—sets off from Cincinnati on a flatboat down the Ohio River. He is bankrupt. The bank has taken everything except his clothes, his gun, and a portfolio of 62 bird drawings. His plan is t ... Show More
33m 7s
Oct 5
The Freemasons Get Away With Murder (Probably)
October 7, 1827. A body washes up on the shore of Lake Ontario. A Rochester newspaperman named Thurlow Weed believes he knows whose it is: William Morgan, a down-on-his-luck ex-Freemason who threatened to publish the order's secrets. He was pulled from a jail in Canandaigua a yea ... Show More
32m 5s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2024
Earth Day, Every Day
Earth Day is celebrated on April 22, but around here, every day is Earth Day. In this episode, hosts Rick and Marco discuss the origins of Earth Day and why it was first established in 1970. After starting in the U.S., the holiday is now observed in many nations around the world. ... Show More
18m 46s
Apr 2020
Episode 47: Earth Day at 50
For a new generation of climate activists, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day is not a day of celebration but a day of mobilization combined with a sober critique of why the ideals of the first Earth Day are still so far from being realized. Gus Speth, co-chair of The Next System ... Show More
32m 37s
Mar 2025
Why We're Better With Some Threats Than Others (An Earth Month Re-Run)
Earth Day is coming on April 22, but the whole month is seen as an opportunity to think about environmental issues and what we as individuals can do to help out.  It seemed like a good time to rerun an episode we made with Harvard professor Dan Gilbert about why we humans are gre ... Show More
34m 40s
Apr 2025
Happy Earth Day?
Hi friends,Welcome back to the Earth to Humans podcast. It’s been a minute, but we’re back! I’m senior producer Sarinah Simons, and today, on Earth Day, I’m here with a little season update and some reflection.Yes, we are finally back from our break. Stepping away gave us time to ... Show More
3m 35s
Apr 2022
For Earth Day, two books rethink how we talk about environmental crises
Today is Earth Day, a good occasion as any to reflect on the emergencies the planet currently faces. First, Harriet A. Washington, author of A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind, talks to NPR's Sarah McCammon about the long-term dam ... Show More
8 m
Apr 2021
Women and Environmental Activism
<p>When it comes to environmental activism, women have been integral throughout history. In belated honor of Earth Day, Anney and Samantha discuss the eco-gender gap and highlight examples of women who have led the way when it comes to protecting our planet and everyone that live ... Show More
31m 28s