One of the nation’s largest corporations is 105 years old today, although in common with other centenarians, it has its ailments. General Motors was conceived by William Durant of Flint, Michigan. Durant co-founded Chevrolet — named after noted racing car drivers Louis and Gaston Chevrolet, originally from Switzerland, and Durant promoted Buick to prominence on early racetracks. Over the years, Durant headed — and then lost control of General Motors not once, but twice. Besides Oldsmobile, GM has made several brands no longer around, including the Marquette, Oakland, and LaSalle. In 1908, when GM was founded, there were just 198,000 cars and trucks in the U.S. Today, domestic manufacturers produce that many cars alone in just over 25 days. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.
Sunday, September 15th. Today marks the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month — a time to recognize the contributions and cultures of the nation’s fastest-growing population group. The idea started as a special week in 1968 and was expanded to a full month 20 years later. There are 53 million Hispanics in the U.S., 17 percent of the total population, forming the nation’s largest ethnic or racial minority. Over half of that population resides in California, Texas or Florida, and nearly two-thirds are of Mexican background. Twenty-two-and-a-half percent of all elementary and high school students in the U.S. are Hispanic, indicative of a growing population that is expected to reach nearly 129 million by 2060. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.
Saturday, September 14th. The ongoing economic difficulties the nation is experiencing began five years ago today, and may seem unique. But they have their antecedents in history. Most of us are familiar with the Great Depression of the 1930s, and 140 years ago, the nation was struck by the Panic of 1873, now called the Long Depression. It started because of a collapse in the demand for silver in Europe and spread around the world. In the U.S., banks failed, railroads went bankrupt, factories closed, and unemployment soared. The chaos caused the New York Stock Exchange to close for 10 days in late September that year. The depression dragged on until 1879. Demand for silver rebounded, and in the U.S., nearly 1,300 metric tons are mined annually. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.