Friday / Weekend Open Lines


Friday, February 5th. February is American Heart Month, dedicated to the serious matter of monitoring and taking care of our beating hearts. This is important because while heart disease has claimed fewer lives in recent years, it is still the nation’s number one killer — responsible for nearly 600,000 deaths annually. However, almost as if to prove that no good intention goes unpunished, February is also National Snack Food Month. Despite increasing health consciousness, snack foods still find a way to America’s heart through its stomach. After the brief disappearance a couple of years ago of Twinkies, there are again some 606 snack food manufacturers across the country. About 45,000 people are employed in the nearly $33 billion a year business of testing America’s willpower … or lack of it. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Saturday, February 6th. On this date in 1899, the Senate ratified the Treaty of Paris, concluding the Spanish-American War of 1898. The treaty, negotiated in Paris the previous December, was opposed by 27 senators — not opposed to peace but to the overseas territorial acquisitions. Spain ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and — for a few years before independence — Cuba to the United States. Additionally, the Philippines were sold to the U.S. for $20 million. The Philippines became independent after World War II, but Puerto Rico and Guam are still U.S. territories. Guam’s population in the 2010 Census was over 159,000. Puerto Rico was home to 3.7 million residents in 2010, though recent Census estimates now put the population at just over 3.5 million. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sunday, February 7th. It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. Nearly 200 years ago, it was even better to light a gas lamp. On this date in 1817, America’s first gas streetlamp was lit in Baltimore, Maryland. The coal gas was supplied by the nation’s first incorporated gas company. Just like today, startups have their struggles, but by 1850, about 50 urban areas had gasworks for mostly municipal and business illumination, along with some private residences. While gas lamps today are mostly confined to elegant accent lighting, natural gas itself is a huge energy source in America, heating over 48 percent of the nation’s households. There are over 2,500 natural gas distribution establishments serving consumers and other users in the U.S., with annual revenues of around $90 billion. Profile America is in its 19th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.