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The 40th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race between Anchorage and Nome, AK, begins March 3. The first female winner was Libby Riddles in 1985. Susan Butcher won the following year. The 1900 Census of Agriculture [PDF 1.2 MB] counted three working dogs on small farms in Alaska.
Tips for Genealogists
Interested in your family's genealogy? Check out our tips for genealogists.
March 2012: Women's History Month
Mary C. Oursler, Official Custodian of Census Records,
U.S. Census Bureau, 1937
Women’s History Month recognizes the contributions women have made to the United States. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau highlight the changes in women’s roles over time. For example, comparing 1940 Census data to current statistics reveals that:
- Women have achieved more education. The 1940 Census found that 73 percent of women 25 years and older had less than a high school education. In 2010, approximately 14 percent had not completed high school.
- Women are found in more occupations. In 1940, 24 percent of the labor force was female. Women accounted for 89 percent of all librarians and 2 percent of all architects and lawyers. In 2010, women made up 47 percent of the labor force accounting for 83 percent of librarians, 24 percent of architects, and 32 percent of lawyers.
- Both women and men are living longer. Life expectancy in 1940 was 61 and 65 years for men and women, respectively. Today [PDF 78 KB] life expectancy is 76 years for men and 81 years for women.
Orange County, CA, established March 11, 1889
1940 Census Enumeration District Map
Photo courtesy of the National Archives
This Month in Census History
On March 1, 1790, Congress passed the Census Act of 1790 which authorized the first decennial census. The law provided instructions concerning the content and procedures for conducting the census.
Did You Know?
Next month, the National Archives will release the 1940 Census records to the public. Because the 1940 Census does not have a name index, researchers must know the enumeration district in which a person lived to find them in the census records. Details on searching enumeration district maps are available from the National Archives.
Contact Us
Questions or comments? E-mail the History Staff.