Best of Almanac articles Articles

Share: 

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

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,...
The Baker's Dozen of Almanac Editors

The Baker's Dozen of Almanac Editors

Get to know the history of The Old Farmer’s Almanac by getting to know its past (and present) ...
Man of Signs

Almanac History: The Man of Signs and More

It’s fascinating to read through early editions of The Old Farmer’s Almanac during the times of the...
16 Folk Remedies for Headaches

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...
Old Cover

Sexism, Bed Bugs, Tobacco Smoke, and Type Size

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...
Goose Bone Method

Predicting Weather: The Ol' Goose Bone Method

Back around the turn of the last century, in the days before the National Weather Service, the so-...
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...
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...
Lizard

100 Ways to Avoid Dying

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

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...

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

Read the following at your normal rate of speed. Then if you can explain it to your spouse so he or...

Best of the Almanac

Since George Washington was President of the U.S., folks have turned to The Old Farmer’s Almanac...
Frozen Death

Frozen Death

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

Why My Great-Uncle Gave Up the Ministry

When the following was published in The 1984 Old Farmer’s Almanac, many readers wrote to say that...