U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for Thursday, Aug. 18: Ordering by Mail

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 -- Following is the daily “Profile America” feature for Aug. 18 from the U.S. Census Bureau:

Profile America Thursday, August 18th. We’re all used to scanning the catalogs that arrive in the mail almost daily for the latest bargains. However, this pastime may be older than you think. The first such catalog was sent out by Montgomery Ward on this day in 1872. That first catalog consisted of only one page but the idea was so successful that, by 1904, the Ward’s catalog weighed in at four pounds. It sparked so many dreams in mostly rural America, it became known as “The Wish Book.” Today, the mail order business is still thriving. An increasing amount of sales generated by mail order catalogs occur on the Internet. There are nearly 16-thousand businesses involved, selling more than 121-billion dollars worth of goods each year. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at http://www.census.gov .

Sources: Chase’s Calendar of Events 2005, p. 430 2002 Economic Census Industry Series Report http://www.census.gov/epcd/ec97/industry/E4541.HTM

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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 Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the “Newsroom” button). For further information, contact Rick Reed at 301-763-2812, fax at 301-457-3670, or e-mail at rreed@census.gov.

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