Friday, May 13th. Today marks the 408th anniversary of the founding of the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, at Jamestown, Virginia. Captains John Smith and Christopher Newport were among the leaders of a group of royally chartered settlers who sailed from Plymouth, England aboard three small ships — the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery. By 1625, more than 1,200 European colonists lived in Virginia, with perhaps 30,000 native Indians. Today, the state has a population of nearly 8.4 million, and around 42,000 American Indians. Although Jamestown is now a tourist attraction and archaeological site with no residents, the surrounding James City County has a population of about 72,500. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.
Saturday, May 14th. A most unusual childbearing event in medical history occurred in Lima, Peru on this date 77 years ago, which in 1939 happened to be Mother’s Day. A boy was delivered by cesarean section, but that’s not the uncommon part. What was unique is that the mother, Lina Medina, was just over five and a half years old. For a time, this extraordinary story was believed to be a hoax, but it was quickly confirmed. How Lina Medina was impregnated has never been established, as she never spoke of it. She had other children in more traditional childbearing years, and reportedly is still living in Peru at age 82. While not as medically astonishing, in the U.S. today, there are nearly a quarter-million births every year by women between the ages of 15 and 19. You can find more facts about America’s people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey, at <www.census.gov>.
Sunday, May 15th. The summer season ahead will see many backyard parties among friends and neighbors. In addition to grilled chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs, there will be baked beans and potato chips, often joined by a salad. Most grocery stores now carry a wide variety of greens, where some years ago the standard all across America was simply iceberg lettuce. This variety is noted in May, as it’s National Salad Month. Annually, Americans eat an average of around 25½ pounds of lettuce, 20 of onions, 10 pounds of bell peppers, 10½ of carrots and cucumbers, just under 4 pounds of mushrooms, and 86 pounds of tomatoes. To flavor the salads, 29,000 Americans work for the 728 manufacturers of mayonnaise, seasonings, dressings, and prepared sauce. Profile America is beginning its 20th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.