U.S. Census Bureau Black History Month Feature for February 27

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Feb 27, 2011, 12:01 ET

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily Black History Month feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27: JOSEPH WINTERS

Profile America for the 27th day of Black History Month. Watching fire fighters struggle to unload heavy ladders to reach fires as buildings grew increasingly taller led one man to an invention that has saved many lives. He was African-American inventor Joseph Winters, who patented a folding ladder mounted directly on fire wagons in 1878 for the city of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. His invention allowed firemen to quickly and easily reach upper floors to rescue trapped people and spray water where it was needed. Winters' invention proved itself in a big fire in Baltimore in 1904 that burned many businesses and homes. In the U.S. today, there are 293,000 firefighters, just over 8 percent of them African-American. This special edition of Profile America is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources: Maryland State Archives: The Study of the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland

www.aaaffa.org/jwinters.htm

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). For further information, contact Rick Reed: 301-763-2812; fax: 301-763-3762; or e-mail: rreed-at-census.gov.

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau