U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for February 13

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110428/DC91889LOGO)

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13: FERRIS WHEELS

Profile America — Monday, February 13th.  Galesburg, Illinois is noted for its Victorian homes and brick streets.  One of them is Ferris Street, named for George Ferris, born on Valentine's Day in 1859.  An accomplished civil engineer, he produced a sensational invention for the Chicago Exposition of 1893 — the Ferris wheel.  It was the major attraction of the fair and was viewed as America's answer to the Eiffel Tower.  The Chicago Ferris wheel was 250 feet in diameter and could carry more than 1,400 people.  Today, Ferris wheels are still a part of most of the country's 468 amusement and theme parks, where we pay nearly $12 billion a year to be entertained.  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 2012, p. 127
2007 Economic Census, NAICS 71311

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