Football season is soon to be in full swing again. Colleges have already begun playing, and the National Football League season starts on Thursday. For many years, it was believed the first professional game took place on this date in 1895 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. It was considered professional because one player was paid the sum of $10. However, recent research determined that the first professional game took place in 1892 in Pittsburgh. There, a Yale All-American named Pudge Heffelfinger received $500 for his gridiron exploits. That is close to $13,000 today. Nearly 21 million fans attend the openly professional NFL games annually, while college games attract 50 million. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.
Yes, I should have posted this yesterday, laziness got in the way:
September 2nd. This is Labor Day — a time to honor the nation’s working men and women, and traditionally, the end of the summer season. The observance has added meaning this year because of the persistently cloudy employment picture. The first Labor Day was celebrated in September 1882 in New York City. By 1894, more than half the states were observing the occasion, and noting the first Monday in September as a national holiday became federal law in 1894. In the U.S., nearly 156 million men and women over the age of 16 are in the labor force, with retail sales being the largest occupational component. Almost 16 million Americans belong to a union, while some 6½ million or just over 4 percent work from their homes. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.