U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for August 17

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

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 17: A BIG BOOST FOR DRIVERS

Profile America — Tuesday, August 17th.  An invention that changed the automobile so anybody could drive one was patented on this date in 1915 — awarded to Charles F. Kettering for the self-starter.  Before that, it took considerable muscle and knowledge of machinery to hand crank the engine of a car, especially in the winter.  Kettering ended up as the head of General Motors research and in his lifetime, was awarded more than 140 patents, including the electrical ignition system and leaded gasoline.  The impact of the self-starter was immediate.  When Kettering came up with the idea, there were 2.5 million cars in the U.S. — just five years later, the number was over 12 million.  Now, there are 247 million cars and trucks moving on the nation's highways.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.  

Sources:  440 International Calendar of Events, Those Were the Days

www.pbs.org

Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 716

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 1060

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