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Profile America — Friday, November 21st. An engineering marvel that many said impossible was completed on this day in 1942, as the Alcan Highway opened — running more than 1,500 miles from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Fairbanks. Its purpose was to provide a wartime military supply route to isolated but strategically important Alaska. It is still the only land route to Alaska. The road was built through rugged, unmapped Yukon wilderness. Nearly 11,000 men endured weeks of 40 below zero temperatures to complete the road in just eight months. Today, called the Alaska Highway, the road remains a vital transportation link for the state’s growing population of more than 670,000. 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. 12
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html

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Profile America — Thursday, November 20th. Many people in the U.S. had not yet seen an airplane when the first municipal airport in the country opened on this date in 1919 in Tucson, Arizona. A few years later, the airport moved to a larger parcel of land, now Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. A new civil airport was built in 1948, which still serves the Tucson area. Like many other such facilities, its future is uncertain in a time of airline cutbacks. Across the country, there are nearly 20,000 airports. Of these, more than 14,000 are private facilities and about 5,300 are publicly owned. But only 575 airports are certified to handle large commercial aircraft. 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
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 1050
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html

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Profile America — Wednesday, November 19th. What is widely considered the most memorable speech in all American history was given on this date in 1863 — when President Abraham Lincoln made what is now known as the “Gettysburg Address.” Delivered in less than two minutes, the speech dedicated 17 acres of the Pennsylvania battlefield as a national cemetery and is recognized as one of the most eloquent in the English language. Gettysburg National Cemetery continues to draw thousands of visitors each year. Some 140,000 Union troops were killed during the war and nearly 300,000 wounded. Reflecting the hardships and primitive medical facilities of the time, another 224,000 soldiers died from causes other than combat. Confederate losses are unknown. 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. 560
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2004 - 2005, t. 506
http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/statab2001_2005.html

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Profile America — Tuesday, November 18th. There’s an anniversary today that many people will find hard to believe — Mickey Mouse is 80 years old! One of the nation’s most enduring entertainment figures appeared for the first time on this date in 1928 in a cartoon called “Steamboat Willie.” It was the first animated talking cartoon, created by Walt Disney, who provided the squeaky voice himself. It was considered a technological marvel, and its success allowed Mickey to be joined shortly by the spluttering, irascible Donald Duck. The motion picture industry has undergone big changes since Mickey’s debut in 1928. The next year, movies generated $720 million in revenue. Now, movies are a $63 billion a year business. 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. 559
Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 400
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 1097
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html

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Profile America — Monday, November 17th. We still use the word “dial” to refer to the act of calling someone’s phone number — even though several generations have never used a rotary dial phone, or maybe even seen one, except in the movies. Push-button, or touch-tone, phones made their debut this week in 1963. At the time, the service cost extra — and was only available in two cities in Pennsylvania. But it didn’t take long for the increased speed of placing calls on the new phones to make them popular. At the time, 81 percent of U.S. homes had telephones. Today, that figure is 92 percent. The average household pays just over $24.50 a month for local service. Across the country, we make more than a billion local calls every day. 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. 559
Famous First Facts, 7726
Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 783
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 1099, 1119
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html

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Profile America — Sunday, November 16th. November is set aside each year as National Diabetes Month. The goal is to make the public more aware of the serious nature of the disease and how to detect and control it. When our bodies are unable to maintain a normal blood sugar level, many complications may follow, including kidney failure. The disease is also the leading cause of new cases of blindness. Diabetes in the U.S. is on the rise, and some public health experts even refer to it as an epidemic, fueled by our overweight and inactive lifestyle. One widely debated study says drinking even one regular soda a day greatly increases the risk of contracting diabetes. Across the country, more than 74,000 people a year die from complications of the disease. 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. 537
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 111
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html

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Profile America — Saturday, November 15th. The celebration of American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month continues, with events planned across the country. There are an estimated 4.5 million members of these communities in the U.S., about 1˝ percent of the total population. California is home to the highest number of American Indians and Alaska Natives, at nearly 690,000, followed by Oklahoma with close to 400,000. Los Angeles County leads all of the nation’s counties with the number of people in this racial category. American Indians and Alaska Natives are the largest minority group in nine states 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: Chase's Calendar of Events 2008, p. 538
U.S. Census Bureau, Facts for Features, CB07-FF.18
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/010849.html

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Profile America — Friday, November 14th. With the college football season in full swing, many fans may not realize that the first stadium built expressly for football hosted its initial game on this date in 1903 — Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In that first game, Dartmouth defeated Harvard 11 to nothing. At the time, the stadium — which is still in use — was the world’s largest reinforced concrete structure. The distinctive colonnade was added in 1910. Now across the U.S., there are 615 college football teams. Their games draw a total audience of almost 48 million fans each year. In comparison, NFL games are seen in person by just over 22 million annually. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Famous First Facts, 7505
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 1217
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html

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Profile America — Thursday, November 13th. On this day 62 years ago, an airplane flew over Mount Greylock in Massachusetts, dropped super-cooled ice crystals into a cloud and created the first artificial snow. While criticized by those who felt nature should not be manipulated, the experiment caught the attention of ski resort owners, who began their own work in the field. By 1952, the first snow-making machinery was in regular use at a resort in the Catskill Mountains. Today, most every ski resort has such equipment to guarantee skiers a good time, even if the weather does not cooperate. Across the U.S., nearly 9 million people take part in alpine or cross country skiing each year and more than 6 million others enjoy snowboarding. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Famous First Facts, 6774
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 1222
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html

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Profile America — Wednesday, November 12th. Today, the 26th annual triple crown of surfing kicks off on the north shore of the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The event includes three professional big wave surf meets, marking the end of the yearlong tour by the Association of Surfing Professionals. Some 30,000 people are expected from all over the world to jam the beach in the next month to watch the very best men and women surfers battle the island’s gigantic surf in their search for the perfect wave. Millions more will thrill to the action on television. Surfboards are among the nearly $66.5 billion worth of sporting and athletic goods made 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. 553
2002 Economic Census, NAICS 339920
http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/data/industry/E339920.HTM