Today marks the 37th anniversary of Greenpeace.  It was at 4:00 pm on September 15th, 1971 when the original Greenpeace crew of 12 hoisted a green triangular sail bearing the peace and ecology symbols on their boat the Phyllis Cormack, and set out from Vancouver, Canada.  Their destination was the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska, where the US government was scheduling a nuclear test blast on the tiny island of Amchitka.  Their intent was to sail the boat into the test zone to keep the bomb from going off.

The Phyllis Cormack was an old, 80-foot fishing vessel that had more than its fair share of mechanical troubles.  But the hull was seaworthy, and after spending 13 months trying to find something better the crew felt it was their best and only option.  After nearly two years of planning, hard work and fundraising (including a benefit concert featuring Joni Mitchell and James Taylor) the first Greenpeace mission was finally under way.

Bad weather and trouble with the boat kept them from reaching Amchitka, and the blast went off as planned.  The despondent crew sailed back to Vancouver thinking they had failed.  As it turned out, however, the spirit and inspiration of their action set off a wave of international protests that ultimately made it impossible for the United States to continue testing in the Aleutians.  The crew returned to a hero’s welcome in Vancouver, the tiny island of Amchitka was designated a wildlife sanctuary, and Greenpeace was born.