U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for December 21

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21: JOSH GIBSON

Profile America — Wednesday, December 21st.  One of America's greatest baseball players — Josh Gibson — was born 100 years ago today.  A power-hitting catcher, Gibson played for 16 years in the Negro leagues or on Central American teams.  He also often played against semi-professional teams, making it difficult to compile his career statistics.  Gibson was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972, his plaque citing almost 800 career home runs. Gibson was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 1943, and died four years later at the age of 35.  When Gibson started playing baseball in 1930, just over 10 million fans attended major league games.  Last year, that number was 74.5 million.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources:  Chase's Calendar of Events 2011, p. 607
Historical Statistics of the United States:  Colonial Times to 1970, p. 400
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 1245

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). 

CONTACT:  Rick Reed of the U.S. Census Bureau, +1-301-763-2812, fax: +1-301-763-3762, rreed-at-census.gov

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau