WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12: DETERGENTS
Profile America — Tuesday, October 12th. Something that we all take for granted made its appearance this week in 1933, when the first household detergent — named Dreft — went on sale. The chemistry of making soap had changed little over hundreds of years, until shortages of fats for making soap during World War I sparked research. Detergents really took off following the second World War, and by 1953, their sales had passed those of traditional soaps. Now, detergents have all but replaced soap-based products for laundry, dishwashing, and household cleaning, and most soaps for personal hygiene also contain some detergents. Nearly $17 billion of detergents and soaps are made each year in the U.S. 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, Those Were the Days
2002 Economic Census, NAICS 325611
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
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