Saturday, February 29, 2020

Leap Year 101 – Next, When, List, Days, Calendar, Years, Calculation, Last, Rules

Updated February 28, 2017 | Infoplease Staff

Why and when we have leap years

by Borgna Brunner
Yearly Desk Calendar

Rules for Determining a Leap Year

1. Most years that can be divided evenly by 4 are leap years.
(For example, 2016 divided by 4 = 504: Leap year!)
2. Exception: Century years are NOT leap years UNLESS they can be evenly divided by 400. (For example, 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not leap years, but 1600 and 2000, which are divisible by 400, were.)

Related Links

2020 is a leap year, which means that it has 366 days instead of the usual 365 days that an ordinary year has. An extra day is added in a leap year—February 29 —which is called an intercalary day or a leap day.

Why is a Leap Year Necessary?

Leap years are added to the calendar to keep it working properly. The 365 days of the annual calendar are meant to match up with the solar year. A solar year is the time it takes the Earth to complete its orbit around the Sun — about one year. But the actual time it takes for the Earth to travel around the Sun is in fact a little longer than that—about 365 ¼ days (365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds, to be precise). So the calendar and the solar year don't completely match—the calendar year is a touch shorter than the solar year.
It may not seem like much of a difference, but after a few years those extra quarter days in the solar year begin to add up. After four years, for example, the four extra quarter days would make the calendar fall behind the solar year by about a day. Over the course of a century, the difference between the solar year and the calendar year would become 25 days! Instead of summer beginning in June, for example, it wouldn't start until nearly a month later, in July. As every kid looking forward to summer vacation knows—calendar or no calendar—that's way too late! So every four years a leap day is added to the calendar to allow it to catch up to the solar year.

A Quick History Lesson

The Egyptians were the first to come up with the idea of adding a leap day once every four years to keep the calendar in sync with the solar year. Later, the Romans adopted this solution for their calendar, and they became the first to designate February 29 as the leap day.

But Wait! It's Not Quite that Simple!

The math seems to work out beautifully when you add an extra day to the calendar every four years to compensate for the extra quarter of a day in the solar year. As we said earlier, however, the solar year is just about 365 ¼ days long, but not exactly! The exact length of a solar year is actually 11 minutes and 14 seconds less than 365 ¼ days. That means that even if you add a leap day every four years, the calendar would still overshoot the solar year by a little bit—11 minutes and 14 seconds per year. These minutes and seconds really start to add up: after 128 years, the calendar would gain an entire extra day. So, the leap year rule, "add a leap year every four years" was a good rule, but not good enough!

Calendar Correction, Part II

To rectify the situation, the creators of our calendar (the Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582) decided to omit leap years three times every four hundred years. This would shorten the calendar every so often and rid it of the annual excess of 11 minutes and 14 seconds. So in addition to the rule that a leap year occurs every four years, a new rule was added: a century year is not a leap year unless it is evenly divisible by 400. This rule manages to eliminate three leap years every few hundred years.

It's Smooth Sailing for the Next 3,300 Years

This ingenious correction worked beautifully in bringing the calendar and the solar year in harmony, pretty much eliminating those pesky extra 11 minutes and 14 seconds. Now the calendar year and the solar year are just about a half a minute off. At that rate, it takes 3,300 years for the calendar year and solar year to diverge by a day.

Thursday, February 27, 2020

FaNon Watson Cook (Grandma Non) Has Passed Away

FaNon Watson Cook (Grandma Non) passed away peacefully in her sleep in the early morning hours on February 22, 2020. Grandma Non spent her last several months in the care of her family, on whom she has imparted so much wisdom, good humor and unfailing, compassionate love.

FaNon was born to James and Lola Watson on November 15, 1929 in Spring City, Utah where she attended elementary school. She graduated from North Sanpete High School and married the love of her life, Douglas George Cook on December 16, 1949 in the Manti LDS Temple. They shared their life together, surrounded by their four children; Meredith (Gerald), Steve (Marie), Paula and Cindy, eight grandchildren and seventeen great grandchildren.

You’d never have known it by her small frame and constant anxiety, but Grandma was one of the fiercest, most determined people you ever met. She endured a life which, at times, served her some excruciating heartbreak and many difficult experiences. However, she endured it all with grace and humility and often directed her emotions into productive pursuits, primarily tending to the needs of others. 

When she was young, she would ride on horseback to take lunch up to her father and brother who were tending sheep on the mountain. Serving her fellow men often came in the form of her LDS church callings, a few of which included Primary President, Young Women’s Leader, Relief Society President and her particular favorite, Compassionate Service Leader. She recognized the blessings that surrounded her and appreciated what makes one happy and peaceful. 

Grandma Non also knew the value of hard work (working into her eighties) and loved her jobs, including managing Maverick, working at Terrel’s, Country Squire and JCPenney. She adored her friends, particularly her “club” (the Laicos Club), her canasta group and her neighbors. She was a vehement defender of her close family ties and adored the Watson reunions every year. In the end, my Grandma Non’s life seems to have been a testament to the extraordinary beauty of a life lived simply, devoted to her family, friends and her Father in Heaven.

Grandma Non was welcomed home on the other side by her husband Douglas, her daughter Paula, her parents (James and Lola), and her siblings Wanda Cahoon (Clare), Jack Watson (Cecile), Karma Startup (Harry), Gwen Christensen (Eslie), Grant Watson (Stella) and Dawn Watson. Funeral services will be held Saturday February 29, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. in the Mt. Pleasant North Stake Center (461 N. 300 W) with a viewing from 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. prior to service at the church. Interment in the Mt. Pleasant City Cemetery. Our family wishes to extend special thanks to Cindy Cook and Shannon Felts for their selfless, tender care of FaNon; as well as Hannah with Envision Hospice and Rasmussen Mortuary for their kind and gentle service. We will always be grateful. Online condolences at rasmussenmortuary.com

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Judge James William Cherry


March 25, 1949
Mt. Pleasant Pyramid


April 1, 1949
Mt. Pleasant Pyramid 


J.W. Cherry is front row and far right 


Friday, February 21, 2020

Restoration Project ~~~ Please Help



The volunteers for the Pioneer Heritage Association in Mt. Pleasant, UT, are trying to get enough money to restore the Relic House back to its original glory. It was the first house built in our city and is currently home to our city's museum. Please consider a donation to help get a matching grant from the state. Let's take care of our history! Thank you so much!

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Mt. Pleasant Pioneer Historical Association Annual Celebration~~~ Dancing Through Time



The volunteers for the Pioneer Heritage Association in Mt. Pleasant, UT, are trying to get enough money to restore the Relic House back to its original glory. It was the first house built in our city and is currently home to our city's museum. Please consider a donation to help get a matching grant from the state. 
Let's take care of our history! Thank you so much!


Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Queen City Ballroom

November 14, 1947

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mt. Pleasant Pyramid
December 12, 1947



Mt. Pleasant Pyramid
March 26, 1948
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Mt. Pleasant Pyramid
November 26, 1948

Queen City Ballroom Fire 
February 1990

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

J. GOLDEN KIMBALL STORIES ~~~ From our archives


Stories of J. Golden told by his grand nephew, Jim Kimball.

 J. Golden Kimball went to Spring City to help the ward there. It seems the Relief Society president was basically running the ward. 

Things went so far that she told the bishop whether or not someone should be called to the Sunday School because they failed to return borrowed items. Apparently, the bishop did enough of her bidding that people’s complaints alerted Church headquarters. 

After talking with the bishop and Relief Society president, Kimball took care of things in sacrament meeting. At the close of the meeting Golden was called to speak. “I want to ask you all a question. Would you please show by the raise of hands: How many of you have ever had a sliver in your ass? One little girl who’d recently gotten one going down a slippery slide raised her hand. Slowly other people started raising theirs. Good—you know you need somebody else to help you take it out. You can’t do it by yourself. Well, that’s why I’m here.

 You have a sliver in your ass, brothers and sisters, and I’m here to help you take it out. Now, all who can release Sister Brown as the Relief Society president, would you do so by the usual sign? 

Are there any opposed? Good. Thank you. 



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another J. Golden Kimball Story 
from Sanpete 
 

In a church welfare meeting Golden was assigned to check on a piece of property in Manti for a possible welfare farm. He was headed that way for a Stake Conference. In the next meeting President Grant asked if he'd had the opportunity to visit the parcel. Golden answered that he had.

"How was it?" asked President Grant.
"Well now, it was a nice piece of ground, about 180 acres, with a nice slope to it and a good stream of water at the head." responded Golden.

"How big was the stream?" queried the prophet.
"I could piss about half way acrossed it." answered Golden.
To which Rudger Clawson huffed, "Bro-ther Kimball, you're out of order!"


"Of course I am," said Golden matter of factly, "if I wasn't I could've pissed all the way across."




Pink Polka Dot Creations:  J. Golden Kimball thought:  I may not be perfect...:

Monday, February 17, 2020

QUEEN CITY


Mt. Pleasant  Pyramid - March 20, 1914




Queen City Bottling Co.


Queen City Bottling Co. , Queen City Creamery and Cheese, Queen City Dance Hall,  Court Queen City Ancient Order Foresters,  Queen City Roller Mills, Queen City Bookstore,  
The information below is taken from "History of Sanpete and Emery Counties"
MOUNT PLEASANT, as the name implies, is situ- ated upon a pleasant elevation, near the center of the famous '"Granary of Utah," twenty-five miles north of Manti and 100 miles south of Salt Lake City. The site was selected by the early pioneers of Sanpete county as the most delightful and commanding location for an important commercial metropolis, and its rapid growth and permanent development fully demonstrates that the locators were not deceived. In the early spring of 1852 a company of the veterans of '49, from Manti, camped upon the ground now included in Mt. Pleasant, and began the building of the ''Queen City of Sanpete." The colonists were commanded by Madison D. Hamil- ton, who erected a saw mill and began to cut lumber for building houses. In 1853 the Indians attacked the colonists and drove away some cattle. The colony was reinforced by militiamen from Utah county and assisted in harvesting their grain, when the settlement was abandoned.
The municipal affairs have been wisely and econ- 
omically administered by competent men who have la- 
bored incessantly to make of the city what her inhabi-
tants justly claim, "The Queen City of Sanpete." The 
city has clean, broad streets; excellent water for culi- 
nary, domestic and irrigation purposes; splendid power 
for mills and factories; fine school houses and well-in- 
formed teachers; beautiful lawns and prolific orchards 
and gardens; elegant mansions, the homes of wealthy 
and energetic citizens; perfect electric light system; en- 
terprising and public-spirited business men, conducting 
complete mercantile houses; modern and well-equipped 
roller mills; first class hotels; well conducted newspa- 
per; solid and reliable banking institution; best market 
and mail facilities, furnished by a modern railway; well 
regulated lodges, representing the most prominent fra- 
ternal organizations; capable and competent attorneys, 
physicians and professional men; good churches and 
auxiliary societies; and all that goes to make up a com- 
mercial metropolis of a county like Sanpete. 
Another equally representative and important wool 
shipping concern is the Union Wool and Live Stock 
Commission company, organized after the Mt. Pleasant 
This company handles all that is implied in its name, with perfect satisfaction to its customers and stockholders. The concern is composed of reliable bus- iness men, interested in the success of the Queen City as the commercial center of Central Utah. The officers and directors are: Andrew Madsen, president; N. P. Neil- son, vice president; Neal M. Madsen, secrtary, with J. D. Page, Simon T. Beck and A. J. Aagard. This com- pany is not local in its dealings nor its official directory, but extends its business operations over Sanpete county and throughout Central and Southern Utah.
The Union Mercantile company is a prominent con- 
cern, which in connection with dealing in general mer- 
chandise, conducts the Mt. Pleasant creamery. This firm 
does an extensive business at home and abroad. The 
Queen City butter and cheese commands first class 
prices wherever exhibited. Ole Hansen manages the 
creameryand Neal M. Madsen the store, of which Peter 
Matson is secretaiy and treasurer.
The newspaper business in Mt. Pleasant is well rep- 
resented in the Pyramid, a weekly publication, issued 
eyery Thursday by the Pyramid Publishing Company, 
under the management of J. M. Boyden. This venture 
was started by A. B. Williams in November, 1890, and 
has continued to increase in usefulness as a public edu- 
cator since the first issue appeared. It is a non-partisan, 
strictly local newspaper and devoted to the upbuilding 
of the Queen City and the county of Sanpete. The Pyra- 
mid is deserving of local patronage and is an index to 
the push, vim and enterprise of the business interests of 
the city. Its plant is not extensive, but will grow with 
the financial development of the city and the amount of 
increasing publicity demanded by the ever vigilant and 
progressive managers of mercantile institutions. 
In 1??? the Rio Grande Western railroad was com- 
pleted to 3It. Pleasant and this city put on the highway 
of commercial prosperity. New enterprises were opened, 
dormant natural resources developed and a cash market 
assured for all products of the farm and the herds and 
flocks in the mountains. From that date to the present 
financial advancement has been general, new modern 
residences have been erected, fine mercantile houses con- 
structed, the entire city lighted by electricity and a per- 
fect mountain metropolis created. The shipments of 
wool, sheep, cattle, lumber and grain from this place to 
outside markets aggregate many trainloads yearly and 
the cash returns divided among those interested pour 
into the Queen City a volume of money sufficient to main- 
tain a city of double proportions. With unlimited re» 
sources and such energetic business men as Mt. Pleasant 
has, the future growth to a great commercial mart is 
but a question of time. 
Mt. Pleasant Lodge Xo. 22, Ancient Order United 
Workmen, was organized with a good membership a few 
years ago, and now contains mam^ of the leading men of 
this city and neighboring towns. regular meetings are 
held every week on Monday evenings. A. H. Maiben is 
Master Workman and L. S. Thompson secretary. This 
order lost an esteemed member in Sheriff James Burns, 
who was murdered while performing his duties, and its 
fraternal benefits were shown in the payment of a $2,000 
policy to his widow. Damascus Lodge Xo. 10, Free and 
Accepted Masons, organized in 1895, has regular com- 
munications at Masonic Hall on second and fourth Satur- 
days in each month. H. V. Oassiday is W. M. and A. G. 
Sutherland secretary. This order has members located 
throughout the county and numbers some of the most 
influential citizens. Court Queen City No. 8543,
Ancient Order Foresters of America, was organized
Feb. 19, 1895, with twenty members
Erickson, JOHN N., postmaster, son of Peter J. and 
Christina, was born in Mt. Pleasant September 20, 
1870. His parents came from Sweden and located 
in this city, where father died in '72, mother still living. 
John attended the Mt. Pleasant schools and was a stu- 
dent of the B. Y. Academy at Provo. He 
taught school in Indianola and Mt. Pleasant and was 
principal for one year at Redmond. In February, 1897, 
he entered the post office and has given general satisfac- 
tion. He is a stockholder in the Queen City Roller Mills, 
owns his residence in the city and has and interest in a 
business block on Main street. Is an active member of 
the Mormon church. 
Rolph, M. G., proprietor Mt. Pleasant Cigar Factory, 
 son of Mous and Bengta, was born in Sweden De- 
 cember 21, 1851. The family came to Mt. Pleasant 
by ox-traln in 1856. At the age of 19 he engaged in the 
mercantile business with his brother, N. A., who died in 
New York City in 1886. He continued the business till 
1892, when he sold out and purchased sheep, wliich ven- 
ture was not a success. July 15, 1896, he opened his pres- 
ent cigar facton", where he employs two men and does a 
good business. His brands are Queen City Gem, San- 
pete Famous, Peerless and Honest Five. 
Mt. Pleasant Pyramid 1990


Thursday, February 13, 2020