Modern American election cycles engage campaign managers in almost all levels of political races. The man usually credited with being America’s first campaign director, John James Beckley, operated decades before the advent of the news cycle and social media. He directed campaigns on behalf of the Democratic-Republicans in the late 18th century. After Thomas Jefferson won the presidency in 1800, the Library of Congress was founded. Beckley was appointed the first librarian of that world-renowned institution this week in 1802. At lower levels, states employ 466 full-time and 220 part-time librarians, while more than 270,000 staffers across the U.S. hush patrons in local public and school libraries. Profile Americais in its18th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Saturday, January 31st. Richard Drew of the 3M Company was working on another problem when he ended up inventing one of the world’s most practical items. He noted that workers painting two-tone cars were having trouble keeping the colors separated along a straight line, so he developed an easy-to-peel, glue-backed masking tape to ease the job. Then, Drew expanded the use of the tape by introducing a clear, cellophane backing. The result was Scotch Tape, first marketed on this date in 1928, and found today under many names in nearly every home and office across the country. Such items are among the many articles stocked in the nation’s 7,400 office supply and stationery stores, which sell around $19 billion worth of merchandise annually. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.
Sunday, February 1st. February is Black History Month, a time to honor the many contributions to our nation’s history made by people of African descent. Started as a special week in 1926 by historian Carter G. Woodson, the observance is now a full month of activities across the country. African-Americans, in counting single race or in combination with others, number over 44 million in the U.S. By 2060, this figure is projected to reach nearly 77.5 million — about 18.4 percent of the country’s entire population. Although New York has the largest number of blacks of any state at 3.7 million, Washington, D.C., has the highest percentage at over 52 percent. Cook County, Illinois, effectively Chicago, had the largest black population of any county in 2012, numbering 1.3 million. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.