Published: August 10, 2010

U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for August 11

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11: PERSONAL COMPUTER

Profile America -- Wednesday, August 11th. The era of the personal computer made a big stride forward this week 29 years ago, as IBM introduced its model 5150 -- which quickly became known simply as the "PC." There had been consumer models of computers on sale for some years before, such as the Commodore, but the IBM machine marked a turning point. Previously, the company was famous for its pioneering, large mainframe computers. Now, more than three quarters of all adults use a computer on a regular basis, either at work or at home. In elementary and secondary schools, there is one computer for every four students and more than eight-out-of-10 schools have high speed Internet access. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2010, p. 411

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 254, 1121

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau