WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Following is the daily “Profile America” feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17: FIRST JUKEBOX

Profile America — Wednesday, November 17th.  One of the enduring symbols of American popular entertainment — the jukebox — was unveiled in San Francisco this month in 1889.  Early machines that played music for coins worked much like music boxes.  The classic jukebox came along in 1946 from the Wurlitzer Company.  It was an art deco delight of neon and moving lights, playing 78 rpm records by such artists as Tommy Dorsey and Hank Williams for a nickel.  Surviving examples are highly prized by collectors.  While there are modern versions of jukeboxes in some eating and drinking places, most people now prefer to buy their own music, either on CDs or to play on their iPods, to the tune of just under $8.5 billion annually.  Profile America is in its 14th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources:  440 International Calendar of Events, Those Were the Days

Kane’s Famous First Facts, 7007

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 1103

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 for “Multimedia Gallery” by the “Newsroom” button).