U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for November 22

WASHINGTON, Nov. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22: WILEY POST BIRTHDAY

Profile America — Tuesday, November 22nd.  Today marks the birthday in 1898 of one of the country's most famous aviators.  Wiley Post taught himself to fly, even though he had lost one eye in an oil field accident.  Flying in a Lockheed Vega monoplane, he flew around the world in 1931 with a navigator.  Two years later, he again circled the globe — the first time in history as a solo pilot.  He then turned his attention to high altitude exploration.  As there were no pressure suits available, he invented one.  Again flying his Lockheed Vega, named the "Winnie Mae," he reached 50,000 feet, and proved the existence of the jet stream.  Today, the "Winnie Mae" is on display at the National Air and Space Museum.  In the U.S. today, there are nearly 600,000 certified pilots, about 6 percent of them women.  Profile America is in its 15th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources:  Chase's Calendar of Events 2011, p. 570

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 1083

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