53 years ago today, people across the United States, from California to New York, participated in the first Earth Day.

20M+ people participated in Earth Day events. Earth Day has since become a global event held in 190+ countries. (TIME)

Earth Day was originally part of a broader Earth Week, organized by activists in Philadelphia in 1970. (TIME)

The protests are often credited for the passage of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

The protests have also been credited for pressuring then-Pres. Richard Nixon into creating the EPA.

Here’s a look at the Earth Day protests that took place across the country 53 years ago.

📍Albuquerque, New Mexico

🗣️Stephanie Mills, "Earth Times" editor

🗣️Stephanie Mills, "Earth Times" editor

🗣️Stephanie Mills, "Earth Times" editor

🗣️Maine Sen. Edmund Muskie

📍Chicago

📍California Institute of Technology

🗣️Prof. Barry Commoner

📍Stanford University

🗣️Maine Sen. Edmund Muskie