WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17: "THE SIMPSONS" AT 20

Profile America -- Thursday, December 17th. One of America's favorite -- if not entirely functional -- families first appeared on its own half-hour television show on this day 20 years ago -- "The Simpsons." Cartoonist Matt Groening's characters Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie soon had popularity unusual for an animated feature, and created a legion of loyal fans who wouldn't miss one of the shows. Aside from the wide range of souvenir items generated by the program, some of the character's sayings -- especially Bart's -- have become part of the language, such as "Don't have a cow." When "The Simpsons" first went on the air, there were 193 million television sets in U.S. homes -- today, the number is more than 300 million. You can find these and more facts about American agriculture from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2009, p. 594

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 1090

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).

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

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