| Our 1792 Society may not be a secret society, but it is full of secrets that are ready to be shared. |
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| | Dear History Hound,
Even before the birth of our country, almanacs were a popular companion to farmer and city dweller alike. Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack originally appeared in 1733, and, at the height of its success in the mid-18th century, it had a circulation of about 10,000 copies. Franklin ceased publishing his almanac after 25 years—eight years before Robert Bailey Thomas was born in Grafton, Massachusetts. It would be another 34 years before the very first edition of The Old Farmer’s Almanac would be published, in 1792.
What led a young man from central Massachusetts to publish what would become, and remains, the oldest continuously published periodical in North America? Thomas tells the story himself, beginning in the 1833 edition, with his “Concise Memoir of the Author and Editor of The (Old) Farmer’s Almanac.” He and his brother “were brought up to farming. Our father, quite a scholar for those days, instructed us at home and sent us to the winter school.”
“In the winter of 1783–4, my father sent me to Spencer to improve my penmanship with Dr. I. Allen. The succeeding winter, I studied arithmetic, under my father’s inspection.
“My father possessed a larger library than usually found in a country town. Among many scientific works, no one engrossed more of my attention than Ferguson’s Astronomy. From this work, I first acquired the idea of calculating an Almanack.”
In the winter of 1789, Thomas “called on Isaiah Thomas [no relation] of Worcester to purchase 100 of his Almanacks in sheets, but he refused to let me have them.” As a nod to the wit that would be forthcoming as a hallmark of the Almanac, Robert B. Thomas notes that Isaiah Thomas’s Almanack had a lot of inaccuracies “which I knew I could remedy.”
Finally, in the early summer of 1792, Thomas arranged for instruction “in astronomy as related to calculating an Almanack.” The rest, as they say, is history. Circulation of the second edition of Thomas’s Farmer’s Almanac, as it was known at the time, tripled from 3,000 to 9,000 copies, and Thomas remained the editor until his death in 1846 at the age of 80. |
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| | The Old Farmer’s Almanac 1792 Society Charter Membership |
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| An incredible value-45% discount off the retail value! | | PLUS, a special FREE bonus when you join today! | | |
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| Hard Times for the Almanac | The Old Farmer’s Almanac continued to grow and expand through World War I and the Great Depression. Then the greatest of all Almanac blunders happened. In 1936, Roger Scaife was appointed editor. His term coincided with the only time in the history of the Almanac that circulation and financial stability declined precipitously. The 1938 edition had a circulation of only 88,000 (as compared to 225,000 in 1863)! Scaife also took away what the Almanac was most known for: weather forecasts! In their place, he substituted temperature and precipitation averages. The public was not happy.
Luckily, Robb Sagendorph bought The Old Farmer’s Almanac in 1939, returning the publication to its witty, wise, and entertaining ways. Then came World War II. In 1942, a German U-boat entered the waters off Long Island, New York, sending a spy ashore. He was apprehended by the FBI the next day, and in his coat was a copy of the Almanac. The U.S. government suspected that the Germans were using the Almanac for weather forecasts, which meant that the book was indirectly supplying information to the enemy.
What happened next nearly halted publication of an Almanac that had lived through the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, and so many more historical events. What did Sagendorph do to ensure that his beloved Almanac could maintain a perfect publication record? You’ll have to claim your membership in the 1792 Society to find out! | | | | Let Them Eat Cake | Actually … let us eat cake! We love weather. We love history. But we also love to cook, and we’ll share plenty of our favorite recipes with you when you get your membership in the 1792 Society. One of our most-loved cakes around the office here is this Apple Walnut Celebration Cake.
Start by buttering an 8-cup bundt pan and preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, cream ¾ cup butter and 1½ cups sugar, then beat in 2 eggs (one at a time). Add 1 cup of plain yogurt and ½ teaspoon of grated nutmeg and beat until smooth. Separately, mix together 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon each of baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir to blend. Stir in 2 large peeled and grated tart apples and ¾ cup of chopped walnuts. Spoon the batter into your pan, bake for 50 minutes, and you have a grown-up dessert treat! Dust with confectioners’ sugar for good measure!
Whether you want to discover the best days to view the planets, read about “The Day the Sun Exploded,” or experience “Baseball’s Most Amazin’ Season,” you can get it all (as well as much more useful information, wit, and wisdom) with your membership in The Old Farmer’s Almanac 1792 Society!
With an Old Farmer’s Almanac 1792 Society membership, you’ll get all the periodicals and calendars that we publish, plus the Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Guide, and our monthly digital magazine, The Old Farmer’s Almanac EXTRA! And, for a limited time, we’re including a special gift. Join The Old Farmer’s Almanac 1792 Society today and you’ll get:
● The inside scoop on astronomical events, from comets to eclipses
● Access to the complete history of The Old Farmer’s Almanac
● Practical gardening tips that will help you to grow the best garden you can, whether you have a city balcony or a country lot
● Our world-renowned weather predictions for the upcoming year.
● Plenty of recipes, cooking tips, and, of course …
● Our famous wit, wisdom, trivia, folklore, and “pleasant degree of humor” |
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| Our 5 new and exciting clubs are designed especially for you—packed with all of the periodicals and calendars that we publish—rich in history, lore, tradition, tips and humor! Take a look at these special clubs and treat yourself to more of what interests you!
Choose your favorite club today! Or "get it all" with The Old Farmer's Almanac 1792 Society. |
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| And our 5th Club includes everything that's in the previous 4 clubs...get EVERYTHING, plus a FREE bonus, when you join The Old Farmer's Almanac 1792 Society! | | | | 1792 Society: For Almanac lovers who want it all! | | The 2019 Old Farmer’s Almanac hardcover edition The 2019 Old Farmer’s Almanac softcover edition (2 copies) The Old Farmer’s Almanac EXTRA! monthly digital magazine The 1819 Old Farmer’s Almanac replica edition The 1919 Old Farmer’s Almanac replica edition The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2019 Garden Guide The Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Notebook The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2019 Weather Watcher’s Wall Calendar The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2019 Gardening Wall Calendar The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2019 Engagement Calendar The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2019 Everyday Calendar The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2019 Country Wall Calendar The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2019 Moon Wall Calendar Special FREE Bonus: The Old Farmer’s Almanac Sun Catcher | | Join the 1792 Society Today! | |
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