U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for June 1

WASHINGTON, June 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1: FIRST AMERICAN RUNS 4-MINUTE MILE  

Profile America — Wednesday, June 1st.  Most sports fans know that the first runner in the world to run the mile in under four minutes was Britain's Roger Bannister in May of 1954.  Fewer could name the first American to crack that barrier.  He was Don Bowden of the University of California, at Berkeley, who, on this date in 1957 ran a mile in three minutes, 58.7 seconds.  His achievement was all the more remarkable as he was mostly a half-mile distance runner and had earlier in the day taken a final exam, then driven to Stockton, where the meet was held.  Now, in colleges across the U.S., there are nearly 24,500 young men competing in outdoor track events and 23,000 women athletes.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources:  440 International Calendar of Events

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2011, t. 1246

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