The Yardstick Almanac Every unit is an argument somebody won. https://theyardstickalmanac.com/ 2026-11-01T00:00:00Z Astronomical Unit: Exactly 149,597,870,700 Meters Since 2012https://theyardstickalmanac.com/scale/astronomical-unit/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZSince 2012 the astronomical unit is defined as 149,597,870,700 m, exact. NIST's 2008 SI guide listed a measured 149,597,870,691 m, with u = 6 m.The Yardstick Almanac Choropleth Map: Raw Counts Mostly Redraw the Population Maphttps://theyardstickalmanac.com/maps/choropleth-map/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZIn the U.S. county counts we tested, a choropleth of raw totals mostly redrew where people live. See deaths mapped as a count and per 1,000 residents.The Yardstick Almanac Daylight Hours: 70° N Averaged More Than the Equator in 2026https://theyardstickalmanac.com/reading-charts/daylight-hours-by-latitude/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZBy the standard sunrise definition, 70° N averaged about 12.58 hours of daylight a day in 2026, the equator about 12.12. Charts of 5 latitudes, 3 axis tricks.The Yardstick Almanac Eratosthenes' Earth Circumference: Pliny Says 252,000 Stadiahttps://theyardstickalmanac.com/scale/eratosthenes-earth-circumference/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZPliny gives Eratosthenes' Earth as 252,000 stadia: about 37,600–46,600 km at four stadion lengths from 1855 notes. The WGS 84 meridian is about 40,008 km.The Yardstick Almanac Nanosecond: Light Covers About 11.8 Inches in a Vacuumhttps://theyardstickalmanac.com/scale/grace-hopper-nanosecond/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZIn one nanosecond, light in a vacuum travels 0.299792458 m, about 11.8 inches, just short of a foot. Exact light distances from 1 ns up to 1 au.The Yardstick Almanac Leap Year Isn't Every 4 Years: Why 2100 Skips February 29https://theyardstickalmanac.com/calendars/gregorian-leap-year-rule/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZGregorian leap years aren't every 4 years: century years must divide by 400, so 1900 and 2100 get no February 29. Why Excel still counts 1900.The Yardstick Almanac ISO Week Number: 71 of Every 400 Years Have a Week 53https://theyardstickalmanac.com/calendars/iso-week-number/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZISO weeks start on Monday, and week 1 holds the year's first Thursday. In each 400-year Gregorian cycle, 71 years get a week 53; 2026 is one, then 2032.The Yardstick Almanac Kilogram Definition: Why the 1889 Cylinder Has Uncertaintyhttps://theyardstickalmanac.com/units/kilogram-definition/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZSince May 20, 2019, the kilogram is defined by fixing the Planck constant. The 1889 prototype that defined it has a measured mass: 1 kg, u = 10 µg as of 2018.The Yardstick Almanac Born on February 29: About 214,000 U.S. Residents as of 2025https://theyardstickalmanac.com/scale/leap-day-birthdays/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZRoughly 214,000 U.S. residents were born on February 29, by our estimate from Census 2025 and 1996–2012 birth counts: fewer than 1 in 1,461 would give.The Yardstick Almanac Leap Second: 27 Through 2026, Then Continuous UTC From 2027https://theyardstickalmanac.com/calendars/leap-second/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZAs of IERS Bulletin C 72 (July 2026), UTC is 37 s behind atomic time, 27 of them leap seconds. A 2026 CGPM resolution makes UTC continuous from May 20, 2027.The Yardstick Almanac Metric System in the U.S.: The Yard Is Defined by the Meterhttps://theyardstickalmanac.com/units/metric-system-united-states/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZSince 1893 the U.S. yard and pound have been defined from the meter and kilogram, with exact values since 1959. The laws from 1866 to 2007 and an exact table.The Yardstick Almanac Misleading Graphs: In Tests, Even Flagged Cut Axes Misledhttps://theyardstickalmanac.com/reading-charts/misleading-graphs/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZIn 2020 experiments, a flagged cut axis still made changes look bigger. Six misleading graph tricks rebuilt from one Census file, each beside an honest version.The Yardstick Almanac Nautical Mile: 1,852 m, While a Minute of Latitude Varieshttps://theyardstickalmanac.com/units/nautical-mile/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZThe nautical mile is defined as 1,852 m, fixed in 1929. On the WGS 84 ellipsoid a minute of latitude runs about 1,843 m at the equator to 1,862 m at the poles.The Yardstick Almanac Old Style vs New Style Dates: Feb 11, 1731 Was Feb 22, 1732https://theyardstickalmanac.com/calendars/old-style-new-style-dates/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZOld Style dates use the Julian calendar, and in England before 1752 the legal year began March 25. How to convert them, with a day-by-day table to 1752.The Yardstick Almanac Pie Chart: A 2019 Study Says Readers Likely Judge Areahttps://theyardstickalmanac.com/reading-charts/pie-chart/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZThe abstract of a 2019 study of 3D pie charts names area as the likeliest cue for slices. What tilt and depth do to area, and when a pie is the right chart.The Yardstick Almanac Prime Meridian: The 1884 Vote Named a Telescope, Not a Markhttps://theyardstickalmanac.com/maps/prime-meridian/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZThe 1884 Meridian Conference set longitude zero through Greenwich's transit instrument, a telescope. Read the vote, who abstained, and where 0° sits today.The Yardstick Almanac U.S. Survey Foot: America Had Two Official Feet Until 2023https://theyardstickalmanac.com/units/us-survey-foot/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZFrom 1959 through 2022 the U.S. had two official feet: the international foot, 0.3048 m, and the survey foot, 1200/3937 m. Legacy survey records still use it.The Yardstick Almanac WGS 84: The Same Coordinates Can Land Meters Aparthttps://theyardstickalmanac.com/maps/wgs-84/2026-11-01T00:00:00ZWGS 84, NAD 83 and NAD 27 fix latitude and longitude differently. At 823 lower-48 points, one coordinate pair in NAD 27 vs NAD 83 lands 1.0 to 100.5 m apart.The Yardstick Almanac