America the polluted

In the 1970s, the newly formed EPA ambitiously documented the contaminated state of the environment

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Smoke stacks, early 1970s.
(Image credit: (Documeria/Chester Higgins, The U.S. National Archives via Flickr)While the regularity of such catastrophes numbed many Americans into acceptance, several significant events in the 1960s bega)

(Image credit: (The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr)Grassroots environmental groups, with the help of Sen. Gaylord Nelson (D-Wis.), organized the first Earth Day — a national, and now global, demonstrati)

(Image credit: (Documerica/Gene Daniels, The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr))

(Image credit: (Documerica/Jim Pickerell, The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr))

(Image credit: (Documerica/Erik Calonius, The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr))

(Image credit: (Documerica/Frank J. Aleksandrowicz, The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr))

(Image credit: (Gary Miller/Documerica, The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr))

(Image credit: (Documerica/Marc St. Gil, The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr))

(Image credit: (Documerica/Marc St. Gil, The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr))

(Image credit: (Documerica/Marc St. Gil, The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr))

(Image credit: (Documerica/Erik Calonius, The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr))

(Image credit: (Documerica/David Hiser, The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr))

(Image credit: (Documerica/Arthur Tress, The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr))

(Image credit: (Documerica/Marc St. Gil, The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr))

(Image credit: (Documerica/Lyntha Scott Eiler, The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr))

(Image credit: (Documerica/Erik Calonius, The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr))

(Image credit: (Documerica/Charles O'Rear, The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr))

(Image credit: (Documerica/Charles O'Rear, The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr))

(Image credit: (Documerica/Marc St. Gil, The U.S. National Archives, via Flickr))

Lauren Hansen
Lauren Hansen

Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.