October 11, 2008

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Profile America — Saturday, October 11th. One of the most amazing sights can be seen this weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico — the windup of the weeklong International Balloon Fiesta, the largest balloon convention in the world. The gatherings started in 1972 and have grown in popularity each succeeding year. Some 700 multicolored hot air balloons will take part in a mass ascension just after 7 a.m. each day. While the words "awe inspiring" are overused, in this case, they apply, as the huge balloons rise into the clear desert air, giving photographers and spectators alike a thrill. There are nearly 4,400 lighter-than-air craft across the U.S., including hot air balloons and blimps. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau
online at
<www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase’s Calendar of Events 2008, p. 495
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 1050

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html

October 10, 2008

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Profile America — Friday, October 10th. Something many of us use every day made its first appearance on this day in 1933, when the first household detergent — named Dreft — went on sale. Until that time, the chemistry of making soap had changed little over hundreds of years. Shortages of fats for making soap during World War I sparked research. Detergents really took off following the second world war and by 1953, their sales had passed those of traditional soaps. Now, detergents have all but replaced soap-based products for laundry, dishwashing and household cleaning, and most soaps for personal hygiene also contain some detergents. Nearly $17 billion of detergents and soaps are made each year in the U.S. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau
online at
<www.census.gov>.

Sources: 440 International Calendar of Events
2002 Economic Census, NAICS 325611

http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/data/industry/E325611.HTM

October 9, 2008

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Profile America — Thursday, October 9th. All over the country, the same groan is being heard from millions of Americans — the alarm went off, and they have to face the grind of commuting to work and then back home once again. However, a small, but a growing group of people are not in that situation — and that’s why this is National Work From Home Week. Employers all over the country have found that technology — and common sense — have joined together so that a lot of needed work can be done without employees having to be physically present to do the job. There are nearly 142 million workers in the U.S. Nationally, just over 3½ percent do their jobs at home. San Francisco has the greatest proportion of people working from home — nearly 6½ percent. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau
online at
<www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase’s Calendar of Events 2008, p. 499
U.S. Census Bureau News, CB07-CN.06

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/american_community_survey_acs/010230.html
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 583

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html

October 8, 2008

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Profile America — Wednesday, October 8th. This is National Fire Prevention Week — a time to look around your house with the idea of keeping the risk of fire to a minimum. It’s also a good time to check the batteries of your smoke detectors. Two of the worst fires in U.S. history broke out on this date in 1871. One was the famous fire in Chicago. Up to 300 people died in that blaze, which left almost 100,000 people homeless. A second fire on that day was much worse but has faded into history. It destroyed the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, and burned across six counties, killing as many as 2,400 people. Each year in the U.S., some 3,700 people die in fires around the country and nearly 18,000 others are injured. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau
online at
<www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase’s Calendar of Events 2008, p. 499,503
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 346, 347

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html

October 7, 2008

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Profile America — Tuesday, October 7th. An international event aimed at celebrating the simple pleasures of toys from the past will be centered on Burlington, Wisconsin, tomorrow. The focal point of International Top Spinning Day will be the Spinning Top and Yo-Yo Museum. There, visitors can see more than 2,000 displays of tops, yo-yos and gyroscopes. The tops range from modern to antique and come from around the world. There are tops that spin for hours and even one that spins for days. Youngsters can learn about the physics that keep each of these delightful toys turning. Tops and yo-yos are part of the $4 billion worth of toys manufactured in the U.S. each year. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau
online at
<www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase’s Calendar of Events 2008, p. 503
Spinning Top and Yo-Yo Museum
2002 Economic Census, NAICS 339932

http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/data/industry/E339932.HTM

October 6, 2008

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Profile America — Monday, October 6th. In many parts of the country today, you may hear "oom-pah" music, catch a whiff of sausages and sauerkraut cooking, and see folks dressed up in Bavarian costumes raising a stein of beer. Not only is it National German-American Day, but the entire month is set aside to celebrate our German heritage. German-Americans have had a profound impact on the nation’s culture and history. Their ranks include names such as Einstein, Eisenhower, Studebaker, Nimitz and Rockefeller. Today, more than 49 million in the U.S. claim German ancestry — about 17 percent of all Americans, the largest group in the U.S. population. Among the U.S. regions, the largest number of German-Americans is in the Midwest. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau
online at
<www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase’s Calendar of Events 2008, p. 486, 501
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 51

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html

October 5, 2008

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Profile America — Sunday, October 5th. The dreams of a boy born on this day in the 19th century led to some of America’s most exciting achievements. Robert Goddard was 17 when he thought about his future while climbing a tree and decided to dedicate his life to developing rockets. The year was 1899. At the time, America moved by horse and buggy and steam engine. Goddard’s pioneering work led to the first liquid-fueled rocket in 1926 and later to the development of solid propellants. Today, space flight is a part of modern life, from satellites to telescopes and probes into deep space, as well as manned missions of the space shuttle. This coming year, NASA will spend more than $17.5 billion on a wide variety of space flight and science projects. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau
online at
<www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase’s Calendar of Events 2008, p. 499
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 797

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html

October 4, 2008

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Profile America — Saturday, October 4th. As National Hispanic Heritage Month continues, Americans with roots in the Spanish speaking world are being honored. One in the field of sports was Roberto Clemente, the first Hispanic-American to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Born in Puerto Rico, he was voted National League MVP, won four batting championships and was the 11th player to achieve 3,000 hits. Off the field, Clemente was noted for his extensive humanitarian work and died in a plane crash carrying aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. In the U.S., there are 270,000 people in professional sports, including athletes, umpires and coaches. Close to 6 percent of them are Hispanic. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau
online at
<www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase’s Calendar of Events 2008, p. 459
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 598

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html

October 3, 2008

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Profile America — Friday, October 3rd. Ask most youngsters what their favorite food is and chances are they’ll answer "pizza." In fact, this is the 21st annual National Pizza Month. An Italian immigrant named Gennaro Lombardi is thought to have opened the first pizzeria in the U.S. around 1900 in New York City. No one knows exactly when or where pizza originated, but the ancient Greeks ate something very similar. These made their way into Italy, where they were topped with tomatoes. American soldiers who served in Italy came back from World War II raving about pizza, and helped its climb to nationwide popularity. Americans eat enough pizza each day to cover 100 acres. Pizza restaurants form a good percentage of the more than half-million eating and drinking places across the U.S. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau
online at
<www.census.gov>.

Sources: 2002 Economic Census, NAICS 722110, 722211

http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/data/industry/E722110.HTM

October 2, 2008

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Profile America — Thursday, October 2nd. The way Americans bought homes changed forever this week in 1947. That’s when one of the first communities built by a real estate developer opened for residents to move in — Levittown, on New York’s Long Island. Named for William and Alfred Levitt, the town ultimately contained more than 17,000 Cape Cod and ranch homes. Before Levittown, homeowners in the U.S. individually bought a lot and then contracted to have a home built on it. The houses in Levittown had 800 square feet of floor space and sold for $8,000. In 2006, just before the housing market collapse, the average new home in America had some 2,500 square feet and sold for more than $246,000. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau
online at
<www.census.gov>.

Sources: Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 1211

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html