Seventy-five years ago today, America’s most famous woman pilot disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. Amelia Earhart, who had captured the heart of the nation with her aviation exploits, was attempting to circle the Earth at the equator. She had completed 22,000 miles of the trip and was on a leg from New Guinea to tiny Howland Island when radio contact was lost. An extended, massive search failed to turn up any trace of her, her navigator or their twin-engine aircraft. Sporadic searches continue to this day. In the U.S. today, there are nearly 37,000 women pilots about 6 percent of licensed pilots. Profile America is produced by the U.S. Census Bureau: Measuring America–People, Places, and Our Economy.
Also from Saturday, and Sunday:
Income taxes first came to America 150 years ago today, when President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill levying a 3 percent tax on incomes between $600 and $10,000. Incomes over $10,000 paid 5 percent. The tax was rescinded in 1872. The income tax all of us know today dates to 1913, when the 16th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving Congress the power to levy such taxes. Some 142.5 million returns are submitted annually. For those who dislike doing their own taxes, there are nearly 112,000 tax preparation offices around the nation. These services cost nearly $7 billion a year to have our taxes prepared. is in its 16th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Saturday, June 30th. In the past, hot summer days meant that some enterprising youngsters in the neighborhood would set up a lemonade stand at five cents a glass or the family would share a pitcher of iced tea on the front porch to cool off. While the summer heat does call for more to drink, Americans have a powerful thirst all year long. Today, the drink of choice is a soft drink, usually carbonated. As a result, we each drink about 49 gallons of soft drinks annually. And the increasing popularity of bottled water has lead to an even greater increase. In 1980, we each drank about 2½ gallons of bottled water. Now that figure is over 29 gallons a year. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.
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