U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for September 7

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7: "BLONDIE" BEGINS

Profile America — Tuesday, September 7th.  The first thing many people do when they pick up their daily newspaper is to turn to the comics and check on their favorites.  Through the years, the characters in these comic strips have often become folk heroes — such as Popeye, Spider-Man, and Garfield the cat.  Our taste in comics has changed over the years, but one strip keeps going — "Blondie," originally drawn by cartoonist Chic Young, first appearing this week in 1930.  Originally about a jazz age flapper who marries a playboy, "Blondie" evolved into a strip poking gentle fun at the middle class.  Today, "Blondie" appears in some 50 countries, in 35 different languages.  In the U.S., the strip is featured in many of the nation's 1,400 daily newspapers,  read by nearly 47 million people.  Profile America is in its 14th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources:  440 International Calendar of Events, Those Were the Days

www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/blondie/over.html                

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 1098

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).  

CONTACT:  Rick Reed of the U.S. Census Bureau, +1-301-763-2812, fax: +1-301-763-3762, rreed-at-census.gov

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau