Census Bureau Black History Month Feature for Thursday, February 5
WASHINGTON-(Business Wire)-February 5, 2009 - Profile America for the fifth day of Black History Month. Many homes have a hide-a-bed to accommodate extra visitors. Those guests have Sarah Goode to thank for their comfort. Goode lived in Chicago, where she started a furniture store. Noting that many apartment dwellers had little space for beds, she invented a bed that folded up into a cabinet, which then served as a desk. The idea was so popular that she applied for a patent — and in 1885, Sarah Goode received the first patent ever granted to an African-American woman. Each year in the U.S., nearly 183,000 patents are granted. Less than 14,000 of them go to individuals, the rest are granted to U.S. and foreign corporations. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
| Sources: | Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 748 | |
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).
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