4th January: Utah Admission Day

Utah became the 45th US state on this date in 1896. Here are ten facts about Utah:

1. The name Utah comes from the Native American Ute tribe and means people of the mountains.
2. The capital and largest city is Salt Lake City, which has the distinction of being the only state capital whose name is made up of three words. It once had four words - its original name was Great Salt Lake City but the "Great" was dropped in 1868. Two interesting facts about Salt Lake City are that it has more plastic surgeons per person than any other US city, and that the Mormon Temple there took 40 years to build. Another is that it is home to Loftus International, which is the US's leading producer of rubber chickens.
3. The city is named after the Great Salt Lake which covers 2,100 square miles, and has an average depth of 13 feet. The lake is actually bigger than the state of Rhode Island and is four times as salty as the ocean. Jim Bridger, the first European to discover it in 1824 thought at first that he'd reached the Pacific Ocean, because it was so big and salty.
4. Staying with salt for a moment, Utah is home to the Bonneville Salt Flats, a 104 square kilometer (40 square mile, 30,000 acre) salt pan which is remarkably flat and smooth. This makes it a popular location for setting land speed records, such as the fastest motorcycle ride, set by Rocky Robinson who hit a top speed of 634 km/h (394 mi/h). As with anything, things don't always go to plan. In 1964, a man named Norman Craig Breedlove set a world record he probably didn't set out to break - the longest continuous tire skid which resulted in skid marks which were 6 miles long.
5. Utah is the only state where every county contains some part of a national forest. In one of these forests, Fishlake National Forest, you can see what appears to be 106 acres of aspen trees. All these trees are actually stems of one huge quaking aspen tree. They are all genetically identical and share the same root system. This tree is believed to be at least 80,000 years old, and could be as old as a million years. Not only is it one of the oldest living things on the planet, it's also one of the heaviest, weighing in at an estimated 6,000,000 kilograms (6,600 short tons). It has been called Pando, Latin for "I spread" and nicknamed "The Trembling Giant". It's thought that it has managed to live this long thanks to its root system which enabled it to survive the forest fires which decimated the populations of competing trees.
6. Some social statistics. Utah is the most religiously-homogeneous state in the nation as 60% of the population are Mormons (compared to 2% nationally). Utahans are more likely to be married and on average, get married younger than in any other state. However, the divorce rate is slightly higher as well, although divorced people in Utah are more likely to remarry. It has the highest birth rate in America and the youngest population (31% are under 18). While Mormons used to practice polygamy widely, it was officially banned in 1890 as a condition of being granted statehood. That doesn't mean it no longer happens at all. There are an estimated 40,000 polygamous marriages in Utah today, mostly among breakaway Mormon fundamentalist groups. People in Utah are also more generous with their time and money than people in any other state. In 2013, a survey found 71% had donated money to charities and 56% had volunteered. 48% did both.
7. Famous people from Utah include Butch Cassidy, Robert Redford, Roseanne Barr, Loretta Young, Orson Scott Card, Walter Frederick Morrison, the man credited with inventing the Frisbee, Philo T. Farnsworth, the man best known for inventing a prototype of the first all-electric television, and, of course, The Osmonds.
8. It's known as the Beehive State which symbolises thrift and industry, two qualities which were important to the early Mormon settlers. They also adopted the honey bee as the state insect. They originally wanted to call their new state “Deseret,” which is the word for “Honey Bee” in the Book of Mormon. The state bird is California Gull, which also has its roots in Mormon history. In 1847, seagulls helped save the lives of pioneers by consuming the swarms of Crickets which were eating their crops. The event was dubbed the “Miracle of the Gulls”. Utah is the only state to have an official state cooking pot - The Dutch oven was approved as a state symbol in 1997. Sego lilies, which stand for peace, are the state flower. The state animal is the The Rocky Mountain Elk. The state fish is either the Rainbow Trout or the Bonneville Cutthroat Trout - I found references to both being the state fish. Colorado Blue Spruce is the state tree, cherry is the state fruit, Allosaurus the state fossil, Coal the state rock and Topaz is the state gemstone. Utah also has a state snack, green Jell-O. Utahans eat more of this stuff than in any other state, and sometimes add grated Carrots to it.
9. At the centre of Utah is a town called Levan. While the official story is that the town was given its name by Mormon founder Brigham Young, a more popular story is that is was so named because it is "navel" spelled backwards.
10. The Mormon religion's prohibition of alcohol has led, rather than to a total ban, to some unique laws such as bars and restaurants having what is known as "Zion Curtains" - screens which prevent customers seeing alcoholic drinks being prepared. Restaurants are only allowed to sell Wine to customers who specifically ask to see the wine list. Utah may not be a place to live if you're lactose intolerant or vegan - it is illegal there not to drink Milk. If you swear by gunpowder as a headache cure, Utah isn't for you either as pharmacists are not allowed to sell gunpowder for that purpose. Other things you must not do in Utah include carrying a Violin down the street in a Paper bag, fish from a Horse, have sex in an ambulance while it is responding to an emergency and hire a trombone player to advertise an auction.

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Secrets and Skies

Jack Ward, President of Innovia, owes his life twice over to the enigmatic superhero, dubbed Power Blaster by the press. No-one knows who Power Blaster is or where he comes from - and he wants it to stay that way.

Scientist Desi Troyes has developed a nuclear bomb to counter the ever present threat of an asteroid hitting the planet. When Ward signs the order giving the go ahead for a nuclear test on the remote Bird Island, he has no inkling of Troyes' real agenda, and that he has signed the death warrants of millions of people.

Although the island should have been evacuated, there are people still there: some from the distant continent of Classica; protesters opposed to the bomb test; and Innovians who will not, or cannot, use their communication devices.

Power Blaster knows he must stop the bomb from hitting the island. He also knows it may be the last thing he ever does.

Meanwhile in Innovia, Ward and his staff gather to watch the broadcast of the test. Nobody, not even Troyes himself, has any idea what is about to happen.

Part One of The Raiders Trilogy.

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