WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23: PLAY BALL

Profile America — Monday, September 23rd.  Forget what you may have heard about Abner Doubleday and Cooperstown. The national pastime of baseball evolved out of older bat and ball games. An important step in that evolution occurred on this date in 1845, when the Knickerbocker Baseball Club of New York was formed. It was the first organized club, and its rules have shaped today's game. Practice and intrasquad games under the rules occupied the Knickerbockers until the first contested baseball game on June 19, 1846 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Just 30 years later, today's National League began playing. From pickup games in empty lots, through school and municipal fields, on up to the newest major league ballpark, 11.5 million Americans play baseball at least once a year. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources:  Kane's Famous First Facts, 7159www.state.nj.us/nj/about/baseball.htmlStatistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 1249

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). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

RELATED LINKShttp://www.census.gov