Published: January 16, 2012

U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for January 17

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 17: POPEYE'S DEBUT

Profile America -- Tuesday, January 17th. One of the most popular and longest-lasting comic strip characters in U.S. history was first seen on this date in 1929 -- "Popeye," the spinach eating, one-eyed sailor with superhuman strength and bad grammar. Popeye began with a minor part in the newspaper comic strip, Thimble Theater, drawn by Elzie Segar, but soon became the dominant character, fighting to keep the affection of his girlfriend, Olive Oyl. Besides newspapers, Popeye has been featured in comic books, movie cartoons, on radio, in television cartoons, and a feature motion picture. When Popeye first appeared, 42 million Americans read daily newspapers -- now, with a much larger population, dailies draw 46 million readers. Profile America is in its 15th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2012, p. 89
Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 810
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 1135

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