WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15: HEARING AIDS

Profile America — Thursday, November 15th. This week in 1901, there was good news for the hard of hearing, as Miller Reese Hutchinson of New York patented the first portable electric hearing aid.  Called the "acousticon," the device was a smaller version of previous tabletop units. While portable, it still had three components and used batteries that only lasted for a few hours. But it was far superior to ungainly hearing trumpets or simply cupping a hand behind the ear. Now, tiny digital hearing aids that users can program for maximum effect help millions to hear normal conversations.  Making medical equipment and supplies is a nearly $79 billion a year business in the U.S. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources:  American Speaker Calendar of Events
2007 Economic Census, NAICS 3391

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 a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau