U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for March 24

WASHINGTON, March 24 /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)

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24: A SIMPLE, ELEGANT INVENTION

Profile America -- Wednesday, March 24th.  It's hard to think of a more universal item than the common lead pencil -- used by almost everyone every day, from school children to corporate CEOs.  The pencil as we know it dates from this month in 1858.  That's when Hymen Lipman was granted a patent for a pencil different than those used for centuries -- his had an eraser at one end.  That simple improvement created something that endures in every home, school and business in the country, in spite of the explosion of electronic technology and the increasing popularity of computers, laptops, and hand-held devices.  Each year, $1.5 billion worth of pencils and art supplies are sold in the U.S.  Making these items provides jobs for 6,500 people.  Profile America is in its 13th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

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