U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for July 14

WASHINGTON, July 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 14: ICE CREAM PIONEER

Profile America -- Wednesday, July 14th.  Today marks the birthday in 1906 of Tom Carvel -- noted for the invention of soft-serve ice cream and a pioneer in franchising.  The young Greek immigrant borrowed $15 and started selling ice cream from a truck.  One day in 1934, a flat tire forced him to stay in one spot, selling his rapidly melting ice cream to people driving by.  His success led him to open a store, develop a secret soft-serve ice cream formula, and invent special machinery to make it.  After World War II, he began to franchise his stores, and became one of the nation's largest ice cream chains.  Soft-serve ice cream is still popular and is part of the more than 25 pounds of frozen dairy products each American consumes annually.  Profile America is in its 14th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources:  Chase's Calendar of Events, p. 368 (2007 edition)

www.carvel.com

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 212

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