U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for Sept. 30: James Dean

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 -- Following is the daily “Profile America” feature for Sept. 30 from the U.S. Census Bureau:

Profile America Friday, September 30th. Movie fans of a certain age will find it hard to believe that James Dean died 50 years ago today. The extremely popular movie actor was just 24 when he died driving a sports car along lonely state Highway 46 near Cholame, California, on the way to a race in which he hoped to compete. His last two movies, “Giant” and “Rebel Without A Cause” were released after his death. In the half century since, the number of his fans has grown enormously. An Internet search under his name shows millions of entries. In 1955, movie theaters across the U.S. sold 1.3-billion dollars worth of tickets. Now, that figure is 9.6-billion dollars. 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. 506

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2004-2005, t. 1229

http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-04.html

Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 400

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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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