U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for August 17

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

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

MONDAY, AUGUST 17: BASEBALL FATALITY

Profile America -- Monday, August 17th. Some sports are known to be more
dangerous than others -- there have been a number of drivers killed in various
car races, and many high school football players have died, either from heat
stroke or injuries during games and practice. But there have been only two
game-related deaths in major league baseball. The first happened on opening
day in 1909, when Philadelphia catcher Doc Powers crashed into a wall chasing
a foul pop-up, suffering internal injuries. He died two weeks later. The
second occurred on this day in 1920, when popular Cleveland Indian shortstop
Ray Chapman was hit on the head by a pitch from New York Yankee Carl Mays,
dying the next day. In 1920, just over 9 million fans went through the
turnstiles of major league baseball parks. Now, attendance is nearly 81
million a year. Profile America is a public service of the U.S. Census
Bureau, now preparing for the 2010 Census.

Sources: American Speaker Calendar of Events
Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 400
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 1205

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).

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

Rick Reed of the U.S. Census Bureau, +1-301-763-2812, fax: +1-301-763-3762,
Richard.Thomas.Reed-at-census.gov