From 9,000 copies sold in its second year to more than three million today, the Old Farmer’s Almanac is an American staple and the oldest continuously published periodical in North America.
April 24 marks the birthday of its founder, Robert B. Thomas, who served as its editor for 50 years until his death in 1846. While there were other almanacs published at the time, Thomas’ became popular due to his ability to predict the weather accurately.
He conducted research based on solar activity, astronomy cycles and weather patterns and created a secret forecasting formula that continues to be used today and is guarded at the Almanac headquarters. It claims an overall accuracy of about 80% for its winter forecasts.
Although farmers relied on the almanac for weather predictions, Thomas included all kinds of topics such as health advice, recipes, annual and seasonal events, trends and tips. He said the Almanac “strives to be useful but with a pleasant degree of humor.”
There was one year when the editor did not include weather forecasts, substituting them with temperature and precipitation averages. It destroyed his reputation. The publication has only had two female editors in its 230-year history. The first was Janice Stillman in 2000. She retired after 20 years and the position was filled by Carol Connare, the second woman to hold the job.
Oh, and you know that hole at the top? It was meant to allow readers to hang it from a nail for easy access. In the 1990s, editors tried to publish without it since it cost another $40,000 to puncture. Subscriber outcry led to keeping the hole.
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