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U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for July 15

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WASHINGTON, July 15 /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 )

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15: JET AGE BEGINS

Profile America -- Wednesday, July 15th. The course of aviation history saw a major change on this date in 1954, when the prototype of the nation's first production jetliner, the Boeing 707, took off for the first time. It quickly replaced propellor-driven aircraft and served both airlines and the military as the KC-135 tanker for many decades. By the time production ended, the many passenger and cargo versions of the 707 had logged 30 million flying hours and carried more than a half a billion passengers. Now, jet airliners take off more than 32,000 times a day, carrying close to two million passengers to their destinations around the country. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.

Sources: www.boeing.com

http://www.aviation-history.com/boeing/707.html

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 1030

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