Best of Almanac articles Articles

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A collection of those classic, sometimes quirky, only-in-the-Almanac articles from our archives.

Goose Bone Method

Forecasting Weather With a Goose Bone

Can you really predict weather with a goose bone? Back around the turn of the last century, in the...
Woman and Chihuahua

Why My Great-Uncle Gave Up the Ministry

When this true story was published in The 1984 Old Farmer’s Almanac, many readers wrote to say that...
Graveyard

100 Ways to Avoid Dying

Doctors and scientists are always telling us ways to live longer. Usually they involve a healthier...
2011 Almanac

Best of the Almanac

Since George Washington was President of the U.S., folks have turned to The Old Farmer’s Almanac...
Captain L.G. Capers

The First Case of Artificial Insemination by a Bullet

During the Civil War, Union doctor Captain L. G. Capers was acting as a field surgeon at a skirmish...
Old Cover

Humor, Sexism, Bed Bugs, Tobacco Smoke, and Type Size

Were the old ways really the best ways? Take a look back at the jokes, sexism, and quirky cures...
Man of Signs

Almanac History: The Man of Signs and More

Those quirky advertisements, the Man of Signs, and adding the word “Old” to The Old Farmer’s...
Roman Eras

New Eras: When They Began and When They Didn't

Ever noticed that The Old Farmer’s Almanac carries a listing of Chronological Eras each year? When...
Hymnal

What to Do During a Long Sermon

Next time you find it difficult to sit still during a long sermon or church service, you might try...
Embedded thumbnail for Why is There A Hole in The Old Farmer's Almanac?

Why is There A Hole in The Old Farmer's Almanac?

Why is there a hole in the upper-left-hand corner of The Old Farmer’s Almanac? Watch the video,...
Headache Cartoon

16 Folk Remedies for Headaches

Here are 16 folk remedies for headaches. Back then, they didn’t have that warning, “Don’t try these...
Anniversary Issue - A Walk Through Time Version 2

A Walk Through Time

It’s fascinating to read through early editions of The Old Farmer’s Almanac during the times of the...
Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, the Almanac, and a Murder Trial

Abraham Lincoln, born on February 12 in 1809, pursued a legal career before turning to a political...
U-boat

Supplying Information to the Enemy

Here’s a true story from the The Old Farmer’s Almanac archives about supplying information to a...
Mount Tambora Eruption

Predicting Snow for the Summer of 1816

Here’s a peculiar prediction: Legend says that a July forecast of “rain, hail, and snow” mistakenly...
Mardon Me, Padam, But Do You Know Any Spoonerisms?

Mardon Me, Padam, But Do You Know Any Spoonerisms?

Here’s the curious story of how the word spoonerism was invented. The Reverend William Archibald...
Zodiac Signs

Best Days: When's The Best Time to Castrate Your Bull and More

From the beginning, The Old Farmer's Almanac has been calculated on astronomy, not astrology. But...
Frozen Death

Frozen Death

First published in 1943, this is still one of the all-time favorite (and most debated) stories...