U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for Feb. 21

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

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21: FIRST TELEPHONE BOOK

Profile America — Sunday, February 21st. The telephone had only been around for two years when a problem arose. As more and more homes and businesses installed phones, no one knew who had them and what their numbers were. The first telephone directory in the U.S. was published on this day in 1878 in New Haven, Connecticut. It wasn't a big list — there were only 50 subscribers. A little later, a directory also came out in San Francisco, with about 170 names. Today, nationwide directory assistance and online directories are commonly used. But a new problem has emerged — should there be a universal directory for cell phones, and how would it be created? There are 270 million Americans with cell phones — close to nine-out-of-every 10 people in the country. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, now conducting the 2010 Census beginning April 1st.

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

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 1112

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 under the "Newsroom" button).

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau