Prompt Cast
The History and Influence of Farmer's Almanacs
TLDR Farmer's almanacs have been continuously published since 1792, providing advice, weather forecasts, and entertainment. They have a long history of incorporating useful and humorous information, and are still relied upon today for their long-range weather forecasts.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The hosts of the podcast are discussing their personal experiences with the farmer's almanac and how it is commonly found in bathrooms or outhouses.
04:56
The hosts discuss the history and purpose of farmer's almanacs, which provide advice, weather forecasts, and entertainment, and have been continuously published since 1792.
10:12
Parody almanacs, such as Rabelais' and Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac, were popular and contained both humorous and useful information.
15:31
Robert Bailey Thomas, an entrepreneur and former school teacher, published the first edition of The Farmer's Almanac in 1793 after studying mathematics and astronomy.
20:44
The first edition of The Farmer's Almanac was 46 pages long and contained a variety of useful and entertaining information, including astronomical calculations, a farmer's calendar, gardening advice, home remedies, poetry, jokes, and math puzzles.
25:50
The Old Farmer's Almanac was distinguished from its competition by changing its name to "old" and the cover art was introduced by John Jinx in 1851, which is still used today.
31:02
The host discusses the marketing campaigns and interviews conducted by Ray Geiger, the man who ran the Farmer's Almanac for 60 years, to keep people interested in the publication.
36:21
Both the Farmer's Almanac and the Old Farmer's Almanac claim to have originated the hole in the top left corner of their publications, which was used to hang the almanacs in convenient places, such as outhouses.
41:05
The Farmer's Almanac and the Old Farmer's Almanac sell between 10 and 12 million copies a year and are still relied upon for their long-range weather forecasts, which claim to have an 80 percent accuracy rate.
46:02
Both the Farmer's Almanac and the Old Farmer's Almanac claim to have secret formulas for their weather forecasts, but they also incorporate sunspot activity, which is not a typical meteorological practice, and while they boast an 80% accuracy rate, studies have shown that they often fall short of that mark.
51:20
The Farmer's Almanac serves as a reminder of other ways to be and think, focusing attention on nature and providing a respite from the modern world.
Categories:
Society & Culture
