WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110428/DC91889LOGO)
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5: PUMPING GAS
Profile America — Thursday, September 5th. A device that many of us line up to use every few days or weeks was first unveiled on this date in 1885 — the gas pump. Sylvanus Bowser of Fort Wayne, Indiana made the pump for a customer to dispense fuel for lamps and stoves. As one might expect, the advent of automobiles spurred the development, popularity and distribution of the gas pump. Eventually, the inventor's name became a generic term for a fuel dispenser, and gas pumps in New Zealand and Australia are still called "Bowsers." Across the U.S., there are nearly 129,000 gas stations. Each year, the pumps at these stations dispense more than 131 billion gallons of gasoline. You can find current data on the country's economy by downloading the new America's Economy mobile application at www.census.gov/mobile.
Sources: Kane's Famous First Facts, 4410
2007 Economic Census, NAICS 447
Federal Highway Administration, Office of Highway Policy Information
Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?
Newsrooms &
Influencers
Digital Media
Outlets
Journalists
Opted In
Share this article