Mickey Mouse is 80!

November 18, 2008

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Profile America — Tuesday, November 18th. There’s an anniversary today that many people will find hard to believe — Mickey Mouse is 80 years old! One of the nation’s most enduring entertainment figures appeared for the first time on this date in 1928 in a cartoon called “Steamboat Willie.” It was the first animated talking cartoon, created by Walt Disney, who provided the squeaky voice himself. It was considered a technological marvel, and its success allowed Mickey to be joined shortly by the spluttering, irascible Donald Duck. The motion picture industry has undergone big changes since Mickey’s debut in 1928. The next year, movies generated $720 million in revenue. Now, movies are a $63 billion a year business. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2008, p. 559
Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 400
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 1097
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html