U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for April 22

WASHINGTON, April 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

TUESDAY, APRIL 22: FIRST LICENSE PLATES

Profile America -- Tuesday, April 22nd. Automobile license plates today herald the scenic wonders of the various states and often contain words giving a glimpse of the driver's personality. New York was the first state to require license plates on motor vehicles this week in 1901. At the time, there were just under 15,000 automobiles in the entire country. Those early vehicles resembled horse-drawn carriages and traveled over muddy roads without a license for either the driver or the automobile. Many critics expected that they were only a rich man's fad. Now, there are more than 241 million cars, trucks and buses zipping along the nation's sophisticated highway system, and more than 200 million Americans have driver's licenses. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at http://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/

2008-04-22 18:11:06 0342606 PRNEWSWIRE