For Senator Gaylord Nelson the national conservation tours of 1963, which he had suggested, simply fell short of their goal; they failed "to get the environment into the political limelight." Not until six years later would Nelson stumble upon the article that would inspire Earth Day.
     "At that time, there was a great deal of turmoil on the college campuses over the Vietnam War. Protests, called anti-war teach-ins, were being widely held on campuses across the nation." This "turmoil" provided Nelson with the idea for a nation-wide teach-in on the environment.
     In a speech given in Seattle in September 1969, Nelson publicized his idea. On April 22, 1970 an estimated 20 million people participated in "Earth Day" demonstrations and activities across the United States.His brain child was a success.