Monday Open Line

It’s a time to celebrate one of life’s simple pleasures — it’s Peanut Butter Lovers’ Month. The stuff of America’s favorite sandwich, peanut butter was first offered to the public at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904. But as we currently know it — with the peanuts roasted and the product churned like butter to be smooth and so the oil won’t separate — peanut butter didn’t appear on grocery shelves until 1922. While we each eat more than six pounds of peanuts in all forms each year, peanut oil is used in making paints, cosmetics, and lubricants, while the shells are used to make wallboard, abrasives, and fuel. Making peanut butter is a $6.8 billion a year business in the U.S. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.

Sunday, November 11th. Today is Veterans Day, originating on this date in 1919 on the first anniversary of the end of World War I and then known as Armistice Day. In 1954, it’s name was changed to Veterans Day, and its scope widened to honor veterans from all eras. Across the country, there are 21.5 million military veterans, 1.6 million of them women. Seven and a half million are Vietnam vets, 2.4 million from Korea, and only 1.8 million remain from the 16 million in uniform during World War II. Another 5.4 million served during the Cold War. You can find more facts about America’s people, places and economy from the American Community Survey at <www.census.gov>.

Saturday, November 10th. This is National American Indian Heritage Month, with a wide variety of events planned across the country. The 2010 Census counted 5.2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives in the U.S., 1.7 percent of the total population. California is home to the highest number of these groups, at over 723,000, followed by Oklahoma at nearly 483,000. Los Angeles County leads all of the nation’s counties with the number of people in this racial category. American Indians and Alaska Natives are the largest minority group in five states across the U.S. You can find more facts about America’s people, places and economy from the American Community Survey at <www.census.gov>.