A Sign of the Times

If you perform the following search in the 1940 federal population census, you get 138 results:

SEARCH—OCCUPATION: astronomer

Now do this search:

SEARCH—OCCUPATION: astrologer

You get 111 results. Well, you may be thinking, that’s vaguely encouraging: this country supported more full-time astronomers than astrologists in the 1940 census (by a very slim margin). But wait—now do this search:

SEARCH—OCCUPATION: fortune teller

You get 142 results. Which means that this country in 1940 had:

138 full-time astronomers
253 full-time astrologers/fortune tellers

Feel free to draw your own conclusions…

How can researchers access the federal population census? You may use Heritage Quest Online from home with a valid SLPL library card and PIN, or at Central Library or any of our branches.

You may use Ancestry Library Edition at Central Library or any of our branches.

Here’s a list of SLPL reference databases.

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