WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110428/DC91889LOGO)
MONDAY, AUGUST 19: WE HAVE IGNITION
Profile America — Monday, August 19th. An invention that improved the early automobile so anyone could start one up was this month in 1915, awarded to Charles F. Kettering for the self-starter. Before that, it took muscle, some mechanical knowledge, and a bit of a risk to hand crank the engine of a car for ignition. In his lifetime, Kettering was awarded 140 patents for various automobile features, but also such things as an incubator for premature babies. Furthermore, he co-founded the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research in New York. The impact of the self- starter was rapid. In 1915, there were just under 2.5 million cars in the U.S. five years later, the number was over 8 million. Today, U.S. roads are clogged with more than 246 million motor vehicles. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.
Sources: www.history.com/this-day-in-history
Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 716
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 1096
Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?
Newsrooms &
Influencers
Digital Media
Outlets
Journalists
Opted In
Share this article