Today is Earth Day. It is a holiday created by environmentalists in the 1970s to help protect the environment and save the planet. Like many things in this country’s history, the annual celebration has its roots in Philadelphia. Earth Day’s founder, Ira Einhorn, was born there, and the first Earth Day event occurred in the city’s famous Fairmount Park in 1970. But while Einhorn magnanimously wanted to save the planet, he showed no such virtue to his girlfriend Holly Maddux, whom he murdered in cold blood.
While a student at the University of Pennsylvania, Einhorn was in a relationship with Maddux, a graduate of nearby Bryn Mawr College. After dating for five years, Maddux ended the relationship in 1977. Afterward, Einhorn descended into a jealous rage and killed her.
