Key aviation officials from around the world are gathered in England for today’s opening of the Farnborough International Air Show, one of the world’s largest. Hundreds of aircraft will be on display, from historic planes to the most modern. The show is open to industry representatives for the first five days and to the general public for the last two days. The U.S. Aerospace Industry will be well represented at Farnborough with commercial, civil, and military aircraft, engines, electronic systems, and parts. Each year, this industry in the U.S. generates nearly $178 billion in revenue and employs some 441,500 workers. Profile America is produced by the U.S. Census Bureau: Measuring America–People, Places, and Our Economy.
Saturday, July 7th. This is National Farriers Week — and you may be asking, “What is a farrier?” The origin of the term is lost, but now refers to the men and women who keep good-fitting shoes on America’s horses. Up until 100 years ago, a farrier was also a horse doctor. But as motorized farm equipment dramatically reduced the number of horses in the U.S., veterinarians took over that job. Most farriers went into automobile repair, and the art of properly shoeing a horse was almost lost. Now, with the increased interest in horseback riding and other forms of horse competition, the profession has rebounded. Today, about 2 percent of U.S. households own horses, and raising horses and mules is an $861 million a year industry, led by Kentucky. Profile America is in its 16th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sunday, July 8th. One of our favorite ice cream concoctions was invented on this date in 1881 to bypass the law. The ice cream sundae was the brainchild of drug store owner Edward Berner of Two Rivers, Wisconsin. That day was a Sunday, and because of the strict Sabbath laws at the time, he was unable to fill a customer’s order for a flavored soda water. So, Berner improvised, putting chocolate syrup — then used only to flavor soda water — on top of ice cream in a dish. The result was the first ice cream “Sunday.” While drug store soda fountains are gone, there are more than 11,500 ice cream shops across the country, keeping over 90,000 employees busy making delights for customers worth $3.2 billion a year. Profile America is in its 16th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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