U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for October 9

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110428/DC91889LOGO)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9: ELECTRIC BLANKETS

Profile America — Sunday, October 9th.  As the weather gets chilly, a bulky package will be taken out of closets in many homes across the country — where it has been stored since spring.  Inside is an electric blanket and homeowners will be testing their memories to make sure it's hooked up correctly.  For thousands of years, people used blankets made of wool, topped with heavy comforters to ward off the cold — and started their evening's rest with either a bed warmer filled with coals from the fireplace or a hot water bottle.  Now, we take the easy warmth of electric blankets for granted.  The first such blanket went on sale on this date in 1946 in Petersburg, Virginia, at a cost of $39.50.  Today, electric blankets are part of the more than $2.5 billion electric housewares industry.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources:  Kane's Famous First Facts, 4265

2002 Economic Census, NAICS 335211

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