U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for August 13

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

FIRST CATALOG

Profile America — Thursday, August 13th. Even in this Internet world, many of us still receive printed catalogs through the mail, especially near the holiday season. The first such catalog — more of a flyer — was sent out by Montgomery Ward late this month in 1872. That first catalog consisted of only one page, featuring 163 items for mail order purchase. The idea was so successful that by 1904, the Ward's catalog weighed in at four pounds. Montgomery Ward ceased producing its catalog in 1985, and the company itself eventually failed in the largest retail bankruptcy liquidation in American history to that time. But the home shopping business is still thriving. There are nearly 30,000 electronic shopping and mail order houses, and each year they sell over $320 billion worth of goods. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.

Sources: Montgomery Wards: http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2895.html1904 catalog: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-04-27/features/0304270321_1_montgomery-ward-seated-catalogLiquidation: http://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=MONTGOMERY_WARDElectronic shopping and mail order/NAICS 45411: http://thedataweb.rm.census.gov/TheDataWeb_HotReport2/econsnapshot/2012/snapshot.hrml?NAICS=45411

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

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SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau