U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for April 19

U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for April 19

WASHINGTON, April 19 -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

SATURDAY, APRIL 19: FIRST MOVIE THEATER

Profile America -- Saturday, April 19th. For decades, going to the movies has been one of the most popular ways people all across the country enjoy themselves. The first time an American audience sat down to watch a motion picture was this month in 1896, at the Koster and Bials Music Hall in New York City. It was not the kind of feature film today's audiences are used to -- it was more a novelty at the end of a live vaudeville show, demonstrating a new projector of Thomas Edison's. Previously, people saw short films individually by looking into a box like peepshow, cranked by hand. Now, there are close to 5,000 movie theaters in the U.S., showing movies on 39,000 screens. You can find these and more facts about American business from the U.S. Census Bureau, now conducting the 2007 Economic Census.

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 under the "Newsroom" button). For further information, contact Rick Reed at

+1-301-763-2812, fax at +1-301-457-3670, or e-mail at rreed(At)census.gov.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

CONTACT: Rick Reed of the U.S. Census Bureau, +1-301-763-2812, or
rreed(At)census.gov

Web Site: http://www.census.gov/

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Profile: International Entertainment