Friday, May 20th. Gas prices are a frequent cause for consumer complaint — but at least purchases aren’t restricted, as they were beginning this month in 1942. That’s when 17 states began rationing gasoline to help the fight World War II. By December, rationing was nationwide and remained in effect until the end of the war, along with a national speed limit of 35 miles an hour, which was promoted as “Victory Speed.” Now, there are more than 112,000 gas stations across the country. Most — about 98,000 — have incorporated convenience stores. Each year, America’s gas stations sell over $550 billion worth of fuel and other items. Today’s cars average 23.2 miles to the gallon, while SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks get 17.1 miles per gallon. Profile America is beginning its 20th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Saturday, May 21st. Many things we take for granted in current society actually had their beginnings in Colonial America. And many beginnings in Colonial America took place in Philadelphia. The first known life insurance company was called the “Corporation for Relief of Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers,” chartered this month in 1759. Given the year and location, it should not be surprising that Benjamin Franklin was something of an inspiration, having helped launch the colonies’ first chartered fire insurance company in 1752, also in Philadelphia. Now, there are over 132,000 insurance agencies and brokerages in the U.S., with over 655,000 agents and workers. The insurance industry is a $107 billion a year sector of the economy. Profile America is beginning its 20th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sunday, May 22nd. We take for granted the many entertainment options so readily at hand because of the World Wide Web. Yet it can bring you up short when you realize how new this experience is. It was just 23 years ago on this date that a movie was digitized and loaded onto the Internet. In 1993, just under 23 percent of U.S. households had computers, and a negligible number accessed the Internet with early browsers, searching a mere 130 websites. As theoretically infinite as it is, the Internet doesn’t suffer from lack of kinetic content. Across the U.S., there are about 14,000 film and video production establishments, employing over 164,000 people. You can find more facts about America’s people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey, at <www.census.gov>.