U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for April 13

WASHINGTON, April 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

SUNDAY, APRIL 13: BUBBLE GUM

Profile America -- Sunday, April 13th. One of the joys of American youngsters and big league baseball players was invented by accident in 1928 bubble gum. Walter Diemer, an accountant for the Fleer Chewing Gum Company in Philadelphia, brewed up an experimental batch that was less sticky than regular gum and also stretched more easily. Seeing that it would make bubbles, he took a 5-pound chunk to a local grocery store, where eager youngsters bought it all in a single afternoon. Diemer's invention was pink because that was the only food color on hand when he made the first batch. Americans buy a half billion pounds of all forms of chewing gum each year worth more than $2.5 billion. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at www.census.gov.

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments ready to air on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov/ (look under the "Newsroom" button). For further information, contact Rick Reed at +1-301-763-2812, fax at +1-301-457-3670, or e-mail at rreed(At)census.gov.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

CONTACT: Rick Reed of the U.S. Census Bureau, +1-301-763-2812

Web Site: http://www.census.gov/

2008-04-13 08:02:27 0334241 PRNEWSWIRE