U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for December 17

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

FIRST FLIGHT

Profile America — Wednesday, December 17th. A dream of the ages became reality 111 years ago today on a windswept beach at North Carolina's Outer Banks. There, the Wright brothers made the world's first powered, heavier-than-air flight. With Orville and Wilbur alternating as pilot, the plane made four flights that day. The first airplane flight lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet. The longest distance covered that day was 852 feet in 59 seconds — an average speed of 31 miles an hour. In only a few years, the airplane became an important part of America's economy and defense, as well as a form of transportation relied upon by an increasing number of people. Now, aircraft manufacturers in the U.S. do just over $108 billion of business annually. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.

Sources:
First flight: http://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/wright-brothers/online/fly/1903/triumph.cfm 
Aircraft manufacturing, NAICS 336411: http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ECN_2012_US_31I2&prodType=table

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).

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SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

Related Links

http://www.census.gov