This is National Nurses Day — kicking off a week honoring the outstanding efforts of nurses in helping to keep Americans healthy. The observance ends next Saturday, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who established the world’s first nursing school in England in the 19th century. In the U.S., there were some 12,000 registered nurses by 1900. Today, that figure is over 2.6 million. As their numbers have grown, so have nurses’ responsibilities, keeping up with increasingly complex medical technology. They not only work in the nation’s nearly 6,500 hospitals but are on duty in more than 76,000 nursing homes and residential care facilities across the country. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.
Sunday, May 5th. In Spanish, today’s date is Cinco de Mayo, and celebrations will be held in many cities across the U.S., as well as Mexico. These events mark the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla in 1862, when outnumbered Mexican troops defeated the invading French forces of Napoleon III. Over the years, the celebration has evolved from one of military victory to a colorful and vibrant event, celebrating Mexican culture. Appropriately, this is also National Salsa Month. There are almost 34 million people of Mexican descent in the U.S., some 10 percent of the total population. Some 20.6 million of these live in either California or Texas. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.
Saturday, May 4th. By presidential proclamation, this month recognizes one of the nation’s fastest-growing population groups — those of Asian and Pacific American heritage. The observance began in 1978 with a joint congressional resolution honoring the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in the 1840s and the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1870 with the help of Chinese immigrants. Now, 18.2 million people in the U.S. are of Asian heritage, approaching 6 percent of the total population. California has the largest number of this group, at around 5.8 million. Hawaii is the state where Asians make up the highest proportion of the total population at 57 percent. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.