U.S. Census Bureau Black History Month Feature for February 26

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily Black History Month feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26: MIRIAM BENJAMIN

Profile America for the 26th day of Black History Month.  Airline passengers who take for granted the ability to press the call button above their seat to get the attention of a flight attendant owe a debt of gratitude to someone they probably never heard of.  Miriam Benjamin was a Washington, D.C. school teacher when she got an idea for a chair she called the "Gong and Signal Chair for Hotels."  Guests pressed a button on the chair, which sent a signal to a waiting attendant.  At the same time, a light was illuminated on the chair, showing which guest needed attention.  Benjamin received a patent in 1888 — the second African-American woman to do so.  The system was a predecessor of the system universally used on airliners around the world.  In the U.S., more than 700 million passengers fly every year.  This special edition of Profile America is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Sources:  Black Inventor Online Museum
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 1073

Profile America Special Edition:  Black History Month  2012  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