U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for February 10

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10: BILL TILDEN

Profile America — Friday, February 10th.  This marks the birthday of one of the most notable tennis players of the last century — Bill Tilden, now very little remembered.  Born into a wealthy family in 1893, he took up tennis to help deal with the deaths of three older brothers within a month from diphtheria.  Tilden quickly became a strong tennis player and was the first American to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon.  He was the top ranked player in the world for seven consecutive years, and in the 18 years he played as an amateur, won 94 percent of his sets.  Later, Tilden was ostracized within tennis for his off-court behavior, twice being jailed on morals charges involving minors.  Today, tennis is played each year in the U.S. by close to 28 million people.  Profile America is in its 15th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources:  Chase's Calendar of Events 2012, p. 122
ESPN.com/sportscentury
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 1243

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