U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for November 14

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14: CIRCLING THE GLOBE

Profile America — Sunday, November 14th.  Fiction became reality on this date in 1889 — as Jules Verne's novel "Around the World in 80 Days" was challenged by New York World newspaper reporter Nellie Bly.  She set out to beat the fictional record of the novel's hero — Phineas Fogg — and ended up circling the globe in 72 days.  Nellie Bly was the pen name of Elizabeth Cochrane, who was not only an adventurer but a social reformer, best known for her expose of conditions at an insane asylum, written after posing as an inmate.  In her day, there were few female journalists. Today, women make up just under half of the nation's 94,000 reporters, news analysts, and correspondents.  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 2010, p. 100

               Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 603

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 for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).  

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau