1 00:00:01,480 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you should know, a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:14,160 Speaker 2: Howdy and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark, and 3 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,919 Speaker 2: there's Charles W. Chuck Bryant and Jerry's here too, and 4 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:21,959 Speaker 2: we're just some homey folksy types ready to spin a 5 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:26,000 Speaker 2: good yarn for you about the old farmer's almond. 6 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:29,920 Speaker 3: That's right. You know why I commissioned this one, why, Chuck? 7 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 2: Why? 8 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:34,519 Speaker 3: Because I thought it would be fun to put a 9 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:38,240 Speaker 3: old farmer's almanac in the outhouse at my camp. 10 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:42,520 Speaker 2: Okay, wait, first, you have an outhouse. 11 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 3: I have an outthouse. 12 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 2: Is it just a pit like a latrine with a 13 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 2: log over it. 14 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 3: No, it's a composting toilet okay, with a little solar 15 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 3: panel outside that runs a fan. 16 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 2: Okay, and there's the fan. 17 00:00:54,640 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 3: Do the fan moves air through to provide aerobic interaction. 18 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:05,919 Speaker 3: Next the uh with the with the with the poop 19 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 3: and the composting pete. 20 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 2: I just made a compost t like that, but I 21 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:19,680 Speaker 2: used to submerged little fountain pump to create the air movement. Yeah, 22 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 2: pretty neat. 23 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 3: It is neat. So yeah, I got a composting toilet. 24 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 2: It's good. 25 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:26,560 Speaker 3: It helps. Uh, I don't use it. I use it 26 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 3: to go poopy if I'm there for more than a 27 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:29,040 Speaker 3: couple of days. 28 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:29,959 Speaker 2: Uh huh. 29 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:33,200 Speaker 3: But largely I put it there so, you know, some 30 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 3: of some of the ladies in my life and and friends, 31 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 3: wives and things, I don't like to squad in the woods. 32 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:41,399 Speaker 3: Some of them don't mind, sure, But I put that 33 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:44,400 Speaker 3: there so everyone would want to go camping at the 34 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 3: camp and be like, yeah, you got a composting toilet. 35 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 3: I feel good about. 36 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 2: Using it, right, I can. I can see the conversation 37 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 2: between the couple and the kitchen back in Atlanta, like, well, no, 38 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 2: he's got a composting toilet. Well, now i'm you know 39 00:01:57,640 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 2: you can count me in. 40 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 3: Well, and now I gotta He's got a composting toilet 41 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 3: and an old farmer's almanac in that outhouse because I 42 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 3: thought it would just be sort of a fun thing, 43 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 3: because I knew from growing up as a kid that 44 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:12,919 Speaker 3: an old in the South, that an old farmer's almanac 45 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:15,520 Speaker 3: was quite a common thing to find in a bathroom 46 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:19,640 Speaker 3: or an outhouse to read while you're there on the john. 47 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:22,440 Speaker 3: So I have one there from a couple of years ago. 48 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:24,799 Speaker 3: I need to get a new one. It should change 49 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:26,760 Speaker 3: it every year. You know. It's sort of the whole 50 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 3: point of an ominac. And so I thought I was 51 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:33,240 Speaker 3: reading it the other day when I was up there 52 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:34,839 Speaker 3: cutting your grass, and I was like, I really don't 53 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 3: even know the history of these things, and so let's 54 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:37,639 Speaker 3: find out. 55 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:39,919 Speaker 2: So did you read them when you were a kid too? 56 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:42,800 Speaker 3: I mean a little bit here and there. It's not 57 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 3: very interesting for a kid. Sure, I could see that, 58 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:52,080 Speaker 3: But my grandmother, Bryant, my dad's mom, was a backyard 59 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 3: farmer her whole life, and you know, she was one 60 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 3: of these people that put a lot of stock in 61 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 3: the Farmer's Almanac, and so it was just something I 62 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 3: knew about in my life as a kid. Probably didn't 63 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:04,360 Speaker 3: read it a ton, though. 64 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:06,880 Speaker 2: I was never exposed to it, I knew it existed. 65 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 3: You were from the north, yeah, I was Midwest, but 66 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 3: to Georgia, Ohio was the north. Yeah. 67 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 2: Still, but there was corn corn everywhere around where I lived, 68 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 2: So it is a little surprising. But the biggest surprise 69 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 2: that I received since we started researching this is that 70 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:26,639 Speaker 2: you me apparently used to read the Farmer's Almanac when 71 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 2: she was a little kid. 72 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:30,800 Speaker 3: Nothing you ever tell me about Umi will surprise me. 73 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 3: It's true. You just never know. 74 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:35,840 Speaker 2: No, you really don't. It's great for those of you 75 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 2: who've never met you mean, you wouldn't consider her a 76 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 2: farmer's almanac type. 77 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 3: That's pretty safe to say. 78 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 2: Yeah so I was. I thought that was neat. She's 79 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 2: very well rounded. But I, in like chia pet fashion, 80 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 2: went on and ordered this time myself a Farmer's Almanac. 81 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 2: I was going to order you one, and I was like, 82 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 2: I'll bet he's already got one on him. 83 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 3: Oh look at you. Very smart. Also, I've made a 84 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 3: joke about you're from the North as it out. As 85 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 3: we'll see, the Old Farmer's Almanac came from New England originally. Yeah, 86 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 3: so I was, you know, people from the north. There's plenty 87 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 3: of farming that went on all over the country. 88 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 2: By god, they even cover the weather forecast for the year. 89 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 3: In California exactly. They don't discriminate, all right, So big 90 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 3: thanks to Dave Ruse who helped us out with this one. 91 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 3: We're going to talk mostly about the Old Farmer's Almanac, 92 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:26,800 Speaker 3: but we will talk a little bit about its rival, 93 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:30,719 Speaker 3: the Farmer's Almanac. But we're talking about the Old Farmers 94 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 3: Almanac the one that's looked the same since its inception, 95 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 3: with that yellow cover, the four seasons. It's very Did 96 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:43,159 Speaker 3: you get yours in the mail yet? No? 97 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 2: I pre ordered it. I won't arrive until August thirtieth. 98 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 3: Oh, this is for next year. Yes, it's very smart. 99 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:52,359 Speaker 3: Or do you hear in advance? 100 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 2: Well, I mean what am I going to do? Be like, well, 101 00:04:56,279 --> 00:04:59,359 Speaker 2: what happened two weeks ago getting this year's you know? 102 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 2: I mean, like why that. 103 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:02,719 Speaker 3: You could one from August to December? You could surely 104 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:03,839 Speaker 3: gain some insight. 105 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:07,040 Speaker 2: Now, I don't like to waste money. I'd rather just wait. 106 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:10,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, but it's been the same. We'll talk a little 107 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:12,920 Speaker 3: bit more about the cover and its presentation and all that. 108 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:16,479 Speaker 3: But it's very iconic looking if you've ever seen one. 109 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:21,240 Speaker 3: It's been around since seventeen ninety two. That's amazing, which 110 00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:26,080 Speaker 3: means it's the oldest continuously published periodical in North America. 111 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I looked it up. That's the oldest published 112 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 2: anything that's been continuously printed in North America. Is the 113 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:37,599 Speaker 2: Hartford Kurant or sorted as the Connecticut Kuran in seventeen 114 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 2: sixty four, not too much sooner than the farmer's almanac. 115 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:44,480 Speaker 2: But then if you look for the world, the Swiss 116 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:47,280 Speaker 2: have us beat by a mile. Yeah, they have a 117 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:51,200 Speaker 2: what's called The Post and Domestic Times, the post ach 118 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 2: inrich tid Niningar Okay, And again that means the Post 119 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:01,239 Speaker 2: and Domestic Times, which has been printed tinuously since sixteen 120 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:05,599 Speaker 2: forty five. Amazing, But still that's nothing to sneeze at 121 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:08,039 Speaker 2: seventeen ninety two. And they never missed an addition. 122 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:12,279 Speaker 3: Pretty good, Yeah, yeah, totally. And these these books, basically, 123 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:15,839 Speaker 3: I mean those sort of an almanac craze at one point, 124 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 3: lots of small family farms all over the country. Yeah, 125 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:24,320 Speaker 3: pre industrialization, there were hundreds of farmers almanacs all over 126 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:28,159 Speaker 3: the place, a lot of regional ones, even local ones. 127 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:30,919 Speaker 3: And what you would find in them if you were like, well, guys, 128 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:32,600 Speaker 3: what the heck is a farmer's almanac? 129 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:33,839 Speaker 2: Good? Good, walk back. 130 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:36,280 Speaker 3: What it is is there are books that will say 131 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 3: things like, here's when you should plant things, here's some 132 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:47,680 Speaker 3: tips on cattle. Very importantly, here are astronomical charts. This 133 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:49,800 Speaker 3: is when the sun is going to rise and set 134 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:52,520 Speaker 3: in the spring and throughout the year. These are the 135 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 3: phases of the moon. Here are some recipes. Maybe here's 136 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:59,040 Speaker 3: some jokes, here's some poetry. So they would mix in 137 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 3: some folksy fun stuff and entertaining stuff along with sort 138 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,599 Speaker 3: of boots to the ground advice tips and raw data 139 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 3: for farming. 140 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:12,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, but the big draw is the long range weather forecasts, 141 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:17,440 Speaker 2: like they essentially forecast the weather generally for the entire 142 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 2: United States and Canada a year in advance. Yeah, we'll 143 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 2: talk about that, and they say that they're eighty percent accurate, 144 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:27,720 Speaker 2: which is mind boggling. It's it's almost unbelievable. 145 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, And it's things like I remember my grandmother referring 146 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 3: to it for her crops later in the year to 147 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:38,119 Speaker 3: see like how rainy is it going to be this fall, 148 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:41,280 Speaker 3: how rainy will it be six months from now exactly? 149 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 3: And people put a lot of stock in it, and 150 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 3: some people still do even Yeah. 151 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 2: So it's an unusual and unique combination of folksy folk 152 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 2: wisdom and folklore. Even things like if you want to 153 00:07:57,360 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 2: have turnips in the winter and there's no such thing 154 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 2: as refrigeration, keep them in packed in sawdust during the 155 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:05,680 Speaker 2: summer or whatever. Stuff like that. It's useful. But then 156 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:09,200 Speaker 2: there's also like astrology, like horoscopes and that kind of thing. 157 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:13,480 Speaker 2: But then and then it's alongside like actual legitimate astronomical 158 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:17,280 Speaker 2: data that is accurate. So it's a weird combination of 159 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 2: really stuff. And apparently it grew out of the medieval era, 160 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 2: and the word almanac itself seems to have been invented 161 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 2: by medieval French astronomers in the thirteenth century. Although they 162 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 2: said that it was an Arabic word almanach and that 163 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 2: meant calendar of the heavens, and apparently these astronomers just 164 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:38,079 Speaker 2: totally made that up. 165 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:41,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, it was, yeah, like you said, invented by the French. 166 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 3: These medieval almanacs were they were just handwritten, this before 167 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:49,079 Speaker 3: the printing press, and they did some similar things though 168 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:54,199 Speaker 3: they talked about like celestial bodies and moon phases and 169 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:57,600 Speaker 3: stuff like that. Eventually, when the printing press comes along, 170 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:00,840 Speaker 3: they were some of the first things to be printed. Like, 171 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 3: people lived their lives by these a lot of times, 172 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:07,440 Speaker 3: so they were some of the most popular early books 173 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:10,559 Speaker 3: and periodicals that existed in the world. 174 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:14,040 Speaker 2: Essentially, Yeah, because of their popularity and because even back 175 00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:17,440 Speaker 2: then they were just kind of bizarre creatures their own thing. 176 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:22,960 Speaker 2: They were also widely satirized too. As early as fifteen 177 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:26,760 Speaker 2: thirty two, there was a French satirist named Rabelai who 178 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:33,120 Speaker 2: created a parody almanac and he prognosticated stuff that's quite 179 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 2: obvious as a way to just kind of mock what 180 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:39,760 Speaker 2: almanacs do. But he started a trend that lasted for 181 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 2: hundreds of years. And the most famous parody almanac was 182 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:46,719 Speaker 2: Poor Richard's Almanac, which was published by Benjamin Franklin from 183 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:49,800 Speaker 2: seventeen thirty two to fifty eight. And What's neat is 184 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:52,320 Speaker 2: Even though it was a parody and they made stuff 185 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:56,120 Speaker 2: up and it was funny and a satire of almanacs, 186 00:09:56,240 --> 00:10:00,440 Speaker 2: it also contained like actual helpful, useful information. 187 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:05,200 Speaker 3: Too, Yeah, it did. He wrote under the pseudonym Richard Saunders. 188 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:08,520 Speaker 3: And it's famous for a lot of things, one of which, 189 00:10:08,559 --> 00:10:12,480 Speaker 3: like you said, it was around for what twenty something years, 190 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 3: twenty five, twenty six. 191 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:15,960 Speaker 2: Years, I'm guessing like thirty something. 192 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 3: Yeah, but it was like the best selling for that long. 193 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:23,559 Speaker 3: But it was very famous now for these a lot 194 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:26,760 Speaker 3: of turns of phrase that Franklin invented a s. Saunders, 195 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:30,560 Speaker 3: such as we still use today. Hase makes waste as 196 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:35,560 Speaker 3: one fish and visitors smell after three days. And of 197 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:38,840 Speaker 3: course the old standard early to bed, early to rise 198 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:40,839 Speaker 3: makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. 199 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:41,400 Speaker 2: Very nice. 200 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 3: All came from Poor Richard's Almanac. 201 00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:46,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, from the noodle of Ben Franklin himself, because he 202 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:47,480 Speaker 2: wrote it and published it. 203 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:48,360 Speaker 3: That's right. 204 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:49,960 Speaker 2: What a renaissance dude he was. 205 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:53,360 Speaker 3: He really was. We've kind of danced around Franklin here 206 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:56,600 Speaker 3: and there. I wonder not that if we could ever 207 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:03,439 Speaker 3: he's annoying podcasting sprites. I wonder if we should ever 208 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:06,400 Speaker 3: just dive in and just cover him in earnest. 209 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:07,560 Speaker 2: I think we totally should. 210 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:10,760 Speaker 3: You probably should, or at the very least that kite 211 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:13,319 Speaker 3: and the key. I feel like we have. 212 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:16,720 Speaker 2: Talked about that before. Yeah, I can't remember which episode, 213 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:20,319 Speaker 2: but I think we're like, that's not it didn't happen. Yeah, 214 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:24,920 Speaker 2: but his Poor Richard's Almanac, everything Franklin touched basically turned 215 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:28,480 Speaker 2: to gold. He was just good at everything. And his 216 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:33,959 Speaker 2: his parody almanac, which was apparently inspired by a European 217 00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:39,560 Speaker 2: almanac called Poor Robins, he kicked off like that almanac 218 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:42,840 Speaker 2: craze that you talked about in I think the late 219 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:46,120 Speaker 2: eighteenth century, which is when Robert Bailey Thomas came along 220 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:48,720 Speaker 2: and said, I'm getting in on this almanac stuff myself 221 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:51,000 Speaker 2: because I find them thoroughly fascinating. 222 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:53,760 Speaker 3: I think that's a great place for a break. Okay, 223 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:57,840 Speaker 3: we'll come back if you agree and talk about who 224 00:11:57,920 --> 00:11:59,719 Speaker 3: Robert Bailey Thomas was right after this. 225 00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:29,679 Speaker 1: Learn and stuff with Joshua John stuff Fushion. 226 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:38,079 Speaker 3: All right, So Robert Bailey Thomas is an entrepreneur. Almanacs 227 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:41,200 Speaker 3: are all the craze. He's, like you said, he wanted 228 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:43,679 Speaker 3: to get in on this action. He was a dude 229 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:48,080 Speaker 3: from Massachusetts who was a farm guy, but a farm 230 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:52,240 Speaker 3: guy raised by educated parents, an educated farming family who 231 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:55,360 Speaker 3: very much valued reading. They had a very big library, 232 00:12:55,920 --> 00:12:58,680 Speaker 3: and he would just you know, he was quite taken 233 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:04,040 Speaker 3: with almanacs and astronomy and science journals and kind of 234 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:06,520 Speaker 3: all sort of makes sense that he would one day 235 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:08,560 Speaker 3: want to do an almanac when you look at his upbringing. 236 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:11,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's pretty remarkable that his parents had a 237 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:15,000 Speaker 2: library in their house. But they were educated farmers and 238 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:17,439 Speaker 2: they made sure that their kid was educated as well. 239 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:21,600 Speaker 2: Before he became an almanac publisher, he was a school teacher, 240 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:24,520 Speaker 2: a bookbinder, and he said nope, I'm gonna do this 241 00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:27,320 Speaker 2: almanac thing. I've been putting it off long enough. By God, 242 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 2: I'm going to chase my dream. And he did so. 243 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:34,199 Speaker 2: He went to Boston. He went and studied at Osgood 244 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:41,120 Speaker 2: Carlton's School of Mathematics in Boston, which today it does like, 245 00:13:41,559 --> 00:13:45,120 Speaker 2: if you're taking classes from Osgood Carlton School of Mathematics today, 246 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:48,080 Speaker 2: you should un enroll and ask for your money back. 247 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:49,880 Speaker 3: Boy, I hope it's not still around. 248 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 2: I hope not too, because that was a pretty harsh insult. 249 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:55,959 Speaker 2: But at the time, I mean, it was a legitimate school. 250 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,360 Speaker 2: It just had a silly name. And that's where Robert 251 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:02,040 Speaker 2: Thomas went to go figure out how to create these 252 00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:05,280 Speaker 2: astronomical charts that he was going to publish in his almanac. 253 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:08,240 Speaker 3: Yeah, so, like all the things are there. His parents 254 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:11,600 Speaker 3: are farmers, he was into science. He worked as a 255 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:15,640 Speaker 3: bookbinder and a teacher. He took these math classes like 256 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:19,960 Speaker 3: it is all sort of coalescing into a pretty obvious 257 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 3: thing to do. And that year in seventeen ninety three, 258 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:26,840 Speaker 3: or I guess the year before. For the year seventeen 259 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:30,280 Speaker 3: ninety three, he put out because people like I don't 260 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:33,640 Speaker 3: know Josh Clark like to buy things a little early. Yea, 261 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:37,040 Speaker 3: you know, by this year's calendar in July. 262 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 2: What a waste exactly you buy next year's calendar in July. 263 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:45,200 Speaker 3: My mom might do that when I was a kid 264 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 3: because they were on sale. 265 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:47,960 Speaker 2: I have price calendar. 266 00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:50,960 Speaker 3: I'm not saying that that's the way forward for all humanity. 267 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:54,960 Speaker 2: That's hilarious. I'd be an idiot not to buy this. 268 00:14:55,680 --> 00:14:58,120 Speaker 3: I think I got my I got a calendar every year, 269 00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:00,360 Speaker 3: and I think I always got it on my birthday 270 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:04,520 Speaker 3: in March. For an hilarious it's pretty funny. 271 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:06,920 Speaker 2: I am. I got a calendar in the mail from 272 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:09,480 Speaker 2: being a member of the Autumn Society, and I was like, 273 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 2: what the hell am I going to do with this? 274 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:17,160 Speaker 2: Like an actual legitimate calendar these days is like it's 275 00:15:17,280 --> 00:15:20,240 Speaker 2: just not handy, Like it just doesn't have a place 276 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:22,080 Speaker 2: in the world. So I have to figure out what 277 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:22,640 Speaker 2: to do with it. 278 00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:25,600 Speaker 3: I disagree. Is it a daily calendar. 279 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:28,560 Speaker 2: No, it's a calendar monthly thing, like what you got 280 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:29,440 Speaker 2: for your birthday? 281 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:33,440 Speaker 3: My friend, we still get calendars, Emily. I wish I 282 00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:39,200 Speaker 3: could remember the the artists, but these very beautiful month calendars, 283 00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:43,800 Speaker 3: these artists draws these very beautiful pictures, and sure it 284 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:46,280 Speaker 3: hangs on the wall, and I find a great deal 285 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:50,240 Speaker 3: of value in a month at a glance without getting 286 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:52,280 Speaker 3: out my phone and all the distractions that come with that. 287 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:55,160 Speaker 2: I feel like I'm a big enough person to admit 288 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:55,840 Speaker 2: when I'm wrong. 289 00:15:56,280 --> 00:15:58,520 Speaker 3: Hey, no, not everything works for everyone. 290 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:01,480 Speaker 2: So no, I was trying who pointing calendars and you 291 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:03,360 Speaker 2: change my mind. I'm going to put it up somewhere 292 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:05,720 Speaker 2: because you're right. And I knew that just seeing the 293 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:08,920 Speaker 2: little pretty birds every month is great. I was going 294 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,360 Speaker 2: to do something with it, but I was still just astonished. 295 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:15,720 Speaker 2: I haven't seen an actual calendar for a very long time. 296 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:18,920 Speaker 3: No, I'm with you. I'm with you, all right. So 297 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:22,360 Speaker 3: where are we? He finished his mathematics and in seventeen 298 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:25,440 Speaker 3: ninety three put out the first edition, which was called 299 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:28,520 Speaker 3: The Farmer's Almanac. And we'll talk about the word old, 300 00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:30,600 Speaker 3: coming and going as it comes and goes. 301 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:36,240 Speaker 2: So he apparently in the first cover he said that 302 00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:41,520 Speaker 2: the Farmer's Almanac, containing besides the large number of astronomical 303 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:44,680 Speaker 2: calculations and farmer's calendar for every month of the year, 304 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:48,160 Speaker 2: has great a variety of new, useful and entertaining matter, 305 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:51,560 Speaker 2: which is not the best sentence ever, but it really 306 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:54,160 Speaker 2: gets across. It's just jam packed with stuff, and he 307 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:57,720 Speaker 2: fitted all into a forty six page book, which is 308 00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:00,640 Speaker 2: much slimmer than the ones you get to today from 309 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:01,720 Speaker 2: what I understand. 310 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:05,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, and that that uh, what do you call that 311 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:06,000 Speaker 3: a slogan? 312 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:09,520 Speaker 2: I guess, I guess I'm. 313 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:10,119 Speaker 3: Still on the cover. 314 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:11,840 Speaker 2: It is it still? 315 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:16,000 Speaker 3: Yeah? Yeah, well, oh yeah, you'll see very soon. It's 316 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:18,159 Speaker 3: been on there for two hundred and thirty straight years, 317 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:23,240 Speaker 3: as well as pictures of uh, I guess, portraits of 318 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:27,080 Speaker 3: Ben Franklin on one side, yeah, and Robert Thomas on 319 00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:27,400 Speaker 3: the other. 320 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:31,040 Speaker 2: Why am I thinking of Rico Tubbs every time we 321 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:33,760 Speaker 2: say Robert Bailey Thomas's name? What was his name? I 322 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:35,280 Speaker 2: know it is three names? And there was a. 323 00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:39,040 Speaker 3: Toss and I think Thomas, Oh you mean the. 324 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:42,080 Speaker 2: Actor, Yeah, Rico Tubbs from Miami Vice. 325 00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:46,159 Speaker 3: Yeah, I thought, uh, what's his what's his real name? 326 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:51,320 Speaker 3: Don Johnson? And yeah him, Remember what happened to that guy? 327 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:52,480 Speaker 3: Is he around? Oh? 328 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:54,760 Speaker 2: I'm sure he's around. He got super rich off of 329 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:57,080 Speaker 2: Miami Vice and said, so long, suckers, I'm going to 330 00:17:57,080 --> 00:17:59,840 Speaker 2: become a Farmer and he subscribed to the Farmer's Almond Neck. 331 00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:03,720 Speaker 3: Yeah, like you said, forty six pages, and it had 332 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:05,800 Speaker 3: all the things you would expect. It had all those 333 00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:10,840 Speaker 3: sunrises and sunsets and moon phases. It had all the advice, 334 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:16,920 Speaker 3: It had home remedies for you know, little ailments and 335 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:21,080 Speaker 3: things like that. This was just coming off of the 336 00:18:21,119 --> 00:18:24,080 Speaker 3: snake oil sort of period, or maybe it was still 337 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:26,399 Speaker 3: right in the middle of it actually, Yeah. 338 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:28,560 Speaker 2: I think that lasted well into the nineteenth and even 339 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:29,760 Speaker 2: early twentieth century. 340 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:32,120 Speaker 3: Yeah, so all this kind of stuff was very popular, 341 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:35,359 Speaker 3: and he put it in print gardening advice, all the 342 00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:39,320 Speaker 3: poetry and the little jokes, and he had math puzzles 343 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:41,920 Speaker 3: and things like because he was a math guy from 344 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:46,600 Speaker 3: that amazing college that he went to, and he apparently 345 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:49,720 Speaker 3: was a good writer. And that's why it became because, 346 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:51,520 Speaker 3: like we said, there were hundreds of ALMANACX, and this 347 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 3: one became the most popular because he was good at 348 00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:57,320 Speaker 3: doing it. For the time. He was sort of a 349 00:18:57,359 --> 00:18:59,520 Speaker 3: witty and clever guy, and people like it just liked 350 00:18:59,560 --> 00:18:59,960 Speaker 3: his writing. 351 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:04,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's that's really important. That he wasn't like this innovative, 352 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:08,480 Speaker 2: amazing like he didn't invent the whole thing. He I mean, 353 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:11,320 Speaker 2: he came along centuries after the first one started being published, 354 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:14,879 Speaker 2: but he was just that interesting that his publication has 355 00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:19,000 Speaker 2: been around two hundred and thirty years. That's pretty remarkable 356 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:20,800 Speaker 2: if you really stop and think about it. That's how 357 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:24,600 Speaker 2: That's how much of a nerve that guy touched. And 358 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:27,439 Speaker 2: that list of stuff that you talked about, that's essentially 359 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:31,320 Speaker 2: exactly what you're gonna find today. And I went and 360 00:19:31,359 --> 00:19:33,040 Speaker 2: looked up some of the math problems. I'm like, oh, 361 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:36,080 Speaker 2: I'll bet I can do that. Sure, there was now 362 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:40,520 Speaker 2: now mathematician I found from the nineteen seventy four edition. Huh, 363 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:44,600 Speaker 2: And it was it has three circles and they're separate 364 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:47,359 Speaker 2: from one another, okay, And the question is how many 365 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:51,359 Speaker 2: circles can you draw that touch all three circles in 366 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:54,320 Speaker 2: just one point? And I'm like, well, you can draw 367 00:19:54,359 --> 00:19:56,040 Speaker 2: one in the center of them, he can draw one 368 00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:58,879 Speaker 2: on the outside, so two. And I went and flipped 369 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:01,240 Speaker 2: forward to see what the answer was, and the answer 370 00:20:01,359 --> 00:20:05,000 Speaker 2: was seven. And I still have no idea and I 371 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:09,200 Speaker 2: probably never will how how you could possibly draw seven 372 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:13,560 Speaker 2: circles that fulfilled that criteria? And I'm just sticking with two. 373 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:14,680 Speaker 2: I think it's a misprint. 374 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:17,000 Speaker 3: No, someone didn't show you though. 375 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:20,239 Speaker 2: No, it just said seven. That was it, and then 376 00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:21,480 Speaker 2: it moved on to the next thing. 377 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:24,720 Speaker 3: Really annoying. Someone will send in an answer, so we 378 00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:25,880 Speaker 3: have plenty of math help. 379 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:29,160 Speaker 2: I don't want to know a different answer the answers too. 380 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:34,080 Speaker 3: Oh all right, okay. So one example, you know we 381 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:36,200 Speaker 3: talked about people liking his writing and him being a 382 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:39,080 Speaker 3: little more creative than maybe your average almanac at the time, 383 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:43,639 Speaker 3: was he did one on cider making, but instead of 384 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:47,000 Speaker 3: just leaving instructions and a recipe, he made it more 385 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:50,080 Speaker 3: of a story about he and a farmer with some 386 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:53,840 Speaker 3: witticisms and jokes and stuff. Kind of like maybe he 387 00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:56,560 Speaker 3: started that recipe trend of having the scroll for ten 388 00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:58,120 Speaker 3: pages before you get to the recipe. 389 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:00,880 Speaker 2: Thank god for that jump to recipe. 390 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:01,959 Speaker 3: Amen. 391 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:04,560 Speaker 2: But that cider making thing, that's a good example of 392 00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:07,080 Speaker 2: what you'd find. That was for like the month of October. 393 00:21:07,119 --> 00:21:11,040 Speaker 2: So each month would have you know, some information or 394 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:14,439 Speaker 2: some suggestions on what you should do around the farm 395 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:17,880 Speaker 2: that month, and it's making cider is what you would 396 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:20,879 Speaker 2: do in October. And then on the opposite page, I 397 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:23,639 Speaker 2: love this. I hope they still use it so I 398 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:26,040 Speaker 2: can get it my twenty twenty four edition. But it 399 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:28,960 Speaker 2: would say at the top of the month, October half 400 00:21:29,119 --> 00:21:32,160 Speaker 2: thirty one days, And for some reason, it just makes 401 00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:35,480 Speaker 2: it seem so ominous. Yeah, you know, like something bad's 402 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:38,200 Speaker 2: gonna happen in October because they said it half thirty 403 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:38,840 Speaker 2: one days. 404 00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:42,359 Speaker 3: Yeah. I love that. Yeah, I hope it does have 405 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:45,080 Speaker 3: thirty one days. You know, it would be ominous if 406 00:21:45,119 --> 00:21:47,240 Speaker 3: it said October half twenty eight days. 407 00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:49,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, the almanac would know. 408 00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:55,880 Speaker 3: Thomas himself did fifty three editions of The Farmer's Almanac 409 00:21:55,920 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 3: before he died in eighteen forty six. He apparently died editing, 410 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:04,879 Speaker 3: as the story goes, for the next edition that was 411 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:09,040 Speaker 3: ready to be shipped to your house, and that that's 412 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:12,720 Speaker 3: the story of the Old Farmer's Almanac. But what about 413 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:13,879 Speaker 3: the old. 414 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:16,640 Speaker 2: Oh well, the old part actually came all the way 415 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:21,679 Speaker 2: back in eighteen thirty two, when Phillip Seymour Hoffman was 416 00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:26,040 Speaker 2: still editing the Almanac. He changed the name to the 417 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 2: Old Farmer's Almanac because it had been around for thirty 418 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:33,040 Speaker 2: five years already and it had enough competition that he 419 00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:35,280 Speaker 2: wanted to be like, hey, don't forget this is the 420 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:38,119 Speaker 2: original Farmer's Almanac, but instead he used Old. 421 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:41,200 Speaker 3: Yeah. I'm trying to find the Phillip Symore Hoffman joke, 422 00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:42,160 Speaker 3: but I don't get it. 423 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:44,600 Speaker 2: Robert Bailey Thomas. 424 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:48,359 Speaker 3: Okay, just three names. You're gonna call him John Wayne 425 00:22:48,359 --> 00:22:49,680 Speaker 3: gace Enox Well, no. 426 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:52,439 Speaker 2: No, I called him Phillip Seymore Hoffman because the Rico 427 00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:56,960 Speaker 2: Tubbs has Philip, and I think Philip Michael Thomas. Michael Thomas, 428 00:22:57,040 --> 00:23:00,000 Speaker 2: Yes it is, it's Philip Michael Thomas. If we didn't 429 00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:01,240 Speaker 2: look it up either, did we? 430 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:03,200 Speaker 3: We did it. I didn't look it up, but he said, phill. 431 00:23:03,119 --> 00:23:06,000 Speaker 2: Up there, Yeah, we did it, Chuck. We just connected 432 00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:06,800 Speaker 2: brain waves. 433 00:23:07,119 --> 00:23:09,320 Speaker 3: I know. I feel like we should just stop, sure, 434 00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:16,320 Speaker 3: I mean retire. Okay, so you talked about Old, right 435 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:17,359 Speaker 3: you finished that part. 436 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:22,399 Speaker 2: Yeah, he was distinguishing his publication from the competition. 437 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:26,920 Speaker 3: That's right. And Richard. I'm sorry, John Jinks. I want 438 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:30,399 Speaker 3: to call him Richard for some reason, probably because of 439 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:34,680 Speaker 3: Richard's Almanac. Thomas died. John Jenks was the guy who 440 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:39,439 Speaker 3: changed it to Old and that cover art started because 441 00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:42,600 Speaker 3: of Jinks in eighteen fifty one. And that's the same 442 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:44,440 Speaker 3: cover that they still used today that I was talking about. 443 00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:48,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, apparently Thomas changes to he's the one who introduced 444 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,960 Speaker 2: old stopped. He took it away three years later, and 445 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:53,159 Speaker 2: then his successor said, now we're going to go back 446 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:54,520 Speaker 2: to the old Farmer's Almanac. 447 00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:55,720 Speaker 3: Yeah that was Jinks. 448 00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:57,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, mister Jenks, I think we just got. 449 00:23:57,359 --> 00:23:59,680 Speaker 3: Really confusing then. But hopefully people figure it out. 450 00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:02,720 Speaker 2: Yeah. Eventually, it just keep listening to what we said 451 00:24:02,760 --> 00:24:05,280 Speaker 2: over and over and you'll eventually discern the truth. 452 00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:07,680 Speaker 3: All right, So we should talk a little bit though 453 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:10,960 Speaker 3: about the other Farmer's Almanac, because I'm sure when you 454 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,359 Speaker 3: went online, unless you just typed in old, if you 455 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:18,840 Speaker 3: just type in Farmer's Almanac, you're gonna see probably both 456 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:21,760 Speaker 3: the Old Farmer's Almanac and the yellow and then just 457 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:25,320 Speaker 3: the Farmer's Almanac and is sort of orange e and 458 00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:27,520 Speaker 3: it looks more modern than the other one. 459 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:33,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess more modern is a relative term. They 460 00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:34,760 Speaker 2: both look pretty old timing to me. 461 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:38,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's true. I think the other one looks older though. 462 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:41,480 Speaker 2: Okay, but it was founded in eighteen eighteen, so it's 463 00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:45,159 Speaker 2: pretty old itself. But because the original Farmer's Almanac, the 464 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:48,919 Speaker 2: Old Farmer's Almanac was from seventeen ninety two. They just 465 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:52,359 Speaker 2: have to acquiesce and say, yes, we're just the Farmer's Almanac. 466 00:24:52,840 --> 00:24:57,520 Speaker 2: But there's a I think she doesn't edit anymore. Janis Stillman. 467 00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:00,000 Speaker 2: She was the first woman editor of the Old Farmer's Almonds, 468 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:03,240 Speaker 2: and she was editing as recently as a few years ago, 469 00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:07,240 Speaker 2: if she isn't still And she said that there's one 470 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:11,200 Speaker 2: other publication, a Farmer's Almanac, that seems to the kind 471 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:15,119 Speaker 2: word is emulate everything we do. And this is like 472 00:25:15,359 --> 00:25:18,120 Speaker 2: she's saying this in like twenty eighteen or nineteen. These 473 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:22,920 Speaker 2: publications have been like rivals of one another for centuries now, 474 00:25:23,119 --> 00:25:25,880 Speaker 2: and they still throw shade at one another every chance 475 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:26,280 Speaker 2: they get. 476 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:30,439 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I mean they're the two big ones. And 477 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:33,280 Speaker 3: I think the Old Farmer's Almanac outsells the regular right. 478 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:37,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, but I don't think it's necessarily by too much. 479 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:39,719 Speaker 2: I think they both sell a pretty decent amount. 480 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:41,679 Speaker 3: They both sell millions, still. 481 00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:45,760 Speaker 2: Millions, maybe even billions, No, just okay. 482 00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:49,679 Speaker 3: One of the big discs, though, and I think I 483 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:53,080 Speaker 3: even remember this growing up, is that you could buy 484 00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:57,640 Speaker 3: an Old Farmer's Almanac in a store if you went 485 00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:01,720 Speaker 3: to get to a bank or maybe to get your insurance, 486 00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:05,120 Speaker 3: like to an actual insurance agent and an office. 487 00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:06,600 Speaker 2: Who was also a part time farmer. 488 00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:13,320 Speaker 3: Perhaps then you might get a farmer's almanac branded by 489 00:26:13,359 --> 00:26:16,359 Speaker 3: that business, because that is what they did. That was 490 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:20,080 Speaker 3: their strategy is, let's not sell this thing to retail stores. 491 00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:23,119 Speaker 3: Let's sell it to businesses. Let them put their stamp 492 00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:25,520 Speaker 3: on the front of it and give them out instead 493 00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:26,199 Speaker 3: of a toaster. 494 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:30,640 Speaker 2: They still do that, and only since nineteen ninety four 495 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 2: or five edition they started selling them in retail stores. 496 00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:38,280 Speaker 2: But they also still offer it as like a branding 497 00:26:38,359 --> 00:26:41,600 Speaker 2: thing for banks, the kind of banks that like John 498 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:46,400 Speaker 2: Wisdom Robbed in Wisdom, that Emilia Westevez movie, that's where 499 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:49,520 Speaker 2: you would get like a bank branded Farmer's almost Wow. 500 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:52,600 Speaker 3: Uh yeah, sure, like a ha seed bank. 501 00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:55,080 Speaker 2: Sure I wouldn't call it that, but. 502 00:26:56,920 --> 00:27:00,479 Speaker 3: We should have a stuff you should know branded Farmer's 503 00:27:00,520 --> 00:27:03,760 Speaker 3: Almanac and send those out. That'd be pretty fun awesome. 504 00:27:04,119 --> 00:27:05,680 Speaker 3: I wonder how much that costs there. 505 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:09,080 Speaker 2: It's not much. I can't remember it was. I came 506 00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:11,920 Speaker 2: up in Google search and I was like, that's reasonable. 507 00:27:12,119 --> 00:27:15,080 Speaker 2: It wasn't much at all. I think twenty five dollars 508 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:18,360 Speaker 2: or something for one hundred of them or something crazy. 509 00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:24,760 Speaker 3: Did you get the phillim Michael Thomas Brandon Farmers Amena. Yeah, 510 00:27:24,800 --> 00:27:29,680 Speaker 3: so the regular farmers Almanac, the one that's newer, that's 511 00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:34,040 Speaker 3: in scare quotes. A guy named Ray Geiger ran that 512 00:27:34,200 --> 00:27:38,320 Speaker 3: for about sixty years and he was a big marketing 513 00:27:38,359 --> 00:27:41,560 Speaker 3: whiz and he used to refer to himself as the 514 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:44,520 Speaker 3: most interviewed man in America. And he may be right. 515 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:48,320 Speaker 3: He apparently was interviewed more than eighteen thousand times in 516 00:27:48,359 --> 00:27:51,479 Speaker 3: his career, and he seemed to really really enjoy sitting 517 00:27:51,520 --> 00:27:54,880 Speaker 3: down and talking about the Farmer's Almanac and himself. 518 00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:57,639 Speaker 2: Yeah. And one of the other things he did too, Chuck, was, 519 00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:01,040 Speaker 2: in addition to giving interviews, to just drum up business 520 00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:03,720 Speaker 2: for the Farmer's Almanac or keep it interested. And this 521 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:06,480 Speaker 2: is like he's working from nineteen thirty four to nineteen 522 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:10,879 Speaker 2: ninety four. That is a tough period to remain at 523 00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:13,840 Speaker 2: the helm of a Farmer's Almanac and keep people interested 524 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:15,879 Speaker 2: in it as the world is changing like it is. 525 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:18,600 Speaker 2: And that's what he dedicated himself too. And one of 526 00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:21,040 Speaker 2: the other things he would do in addition to interviews. 527 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:25,720 Speaker 2: Is create like national campaigns to do something that was 528 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:29,320 Speaker 2: kind of Farmer's Almanaki and to get people talking about 529 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:33,680 Speaker 2: things that was Farmer's Almonaki and the Farmer's Almanac itself. 530 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:36,320 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean this is a guy who went from 531 00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:41,080 Speaker 3: the Lindy hop to grunge. Yeah for sure, isn't that crazy? Yeah? 532 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:41,760 Speaker 2: It is crazy? 533 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:44,520 Speaker 3: And those campaigns, and I think a lot of this 534 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:47,160 Speaker 3: was to get attention. I'm not sure how many of 535 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:50,800 Speaker 3: them he really really wanted to get accomplished, or maybe 536 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:53,040 Speaker 3: he wanted them accomplished and it was a pr thing, 537 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:56,480 Speaker 3: but it seemed to get attention I think was maybe 538 00:28:56,560 --> 00:28:59,880 Speaker 3: the point. But like, hey, let's move Thanksgiving to October. 539 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:01,560 Speaker 2: Sure more in line with Canada. 540 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:05,160 Speaker 3: Forget paper dollars, let's use coins, stuff like that. 541 00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:08,040 Speaker 2: The one that I can get behind, by golly is 542 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:10,800 Speaker 2: the extending daylight savings time year round. 543 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:13,080 Speaker 3: I wish her. 544 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:15,520 Speaker 2: They talk about every year and I don't know what 545 00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:19,920 Speaker 2: who's dragging their heels on this. It drives me nuts 546 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:24,160 Speaker 2: every year. Twice a year I go totally bonkers because 547 00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:27,640 Speaker 2: of the daylight saving time coming or going. It just stinks, 548 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:31,000 Speaker 2: you know, So I really wish he would have been successful. 549 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:34,400 Speaker 2: But he was successful with one campaign apparently. I don't 550 00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:37,720 Speaker 2: know what decade it was, but the USPS was planning 551 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:42,840 Speaker 2: on replacing on postmarks the place name or town or 552 00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:46,920 Speaker 2: in state whatever with a code and numerical code. And 553 00:29:46,960 --> 00:29:49,520 Speaker 2: he started this campaign to say, no, no, let's keep the 554 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:53,800 Speaker 2: place names. It's way more interesting than a numerical code. 555 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:57,200 Speaker 2: And the USPS listened. So that's why there's still place 556 00:29:57,280 --> 00:30:01,680 Speaker 2: names on postmarks. Oh okay, you know when you get 557 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:05,160 Speaker 2: it stamped at the post office that says you know, Atlanta, 558 00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:08,480 Speaker 2: Georgia or something that shows where it was sent from. Yeah, 559 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:11,680 Speaker 2: they were gonna replace it with you know, three two 560 00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:14,960 Speaker 2: nine or something like that. And this is like robot talk, 561 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:18,960 Speaker 2: you know, and he saved the day. Who needs that robots? 562 00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:23,200 Speaker 3: All right, we're gonna take another break. We're gonna talk 563 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:25,720 Speaker 3: about more lore and finally get to the bottom of 564 00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:27,760 Speaker 3: whether or not those weather predictions are really right. 565 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:58,320 Speaker 1: Learn and stuff with Joshua John stuff you shine up. 566 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:05,640 Speaker 2: So one thing I did not realize, Chuck, is that 567 00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:09,760 Speaker 2: there's actual lore surrounding almanacs, which makes sense in retrospect. 568 00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:13,400 Speaker 2: We're talking about a couple hundred years plus of editions 569 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:16,480 Speaker 2: of two different Almanacs, so of course they're going to 570 00:31:16,520 --> 00:31:20,080 Speaker 2: have played a role in something other than their own publications, 571 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:23,040 Speaker 2: and they did a few times over. One of the 572 00:31:23,080 --> 00:31:26,520 Speaker 2: things that does have to do with their actual, like 573 00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:31,040 Speaker 2: the actual physical Almanac, is that there's a hole in 574 00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:34,320 Speaker 2: the top left corner of both of them, and both 575 00:31:34,440 --> 00:31:37,440 Speaker 2: Almanacs claimed to have been the originator of that. And 576 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:40,760 Speaker 2: the reason that both Almanacs say they created this hole 577 00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:43,400 Speaker 2: is because they found out their customers were doing the 578 00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:47,040 Speaker 2: same thing. They were nailing a nail, hammering a nail 579 00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:50,040 Speaker 2: through the almanac when it arrived, pulled the nail out 580 00:31:50,080 --> 00:31:51,960 Speaker 2: and put a piece of strength through it so they 581 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:54,360 Speaker 2: could hang it from a hook wherever they wanted to 582 00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:55,160 Speaker 2: keep it handy. 583 00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:58,920 Speaker 3: Pretty cool. They both have the same story. Like you said, 584 00:31:58,920 --> 00:32:01,880 Speaker 3: that's the one thing that I after reading this, I 585 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:04,200 Speaker 3: have mine in my outhouse, just sitting in the magazine 586 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:07,000 Speaker 3: wreck that, my goodness screwed into the wall, and I'm 587 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:08,880 Speaker 3: gonna change that. Next time I go up there, I'm gonna, 588 00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:11,520 Speaker 3: you know, put a nail on the wall and a 589 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:13,320 Speaker 3: string through that thing so we can hang it up. 590 00:32:13,480 --> 00:32:15,000 Speaker 2: That's apparently how it's done. 591 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:16,520 Speaker 3: That's how are you gonna do that? 592 00:32:17,120 --> 00:32:19,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm gonna hang it right next to my bird calendar. 593 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:26,920 Speaker 3: Right, you gotta go back in time. So they both 594 00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:29,040 Speaker 3: said they came up with that. But the apparently the 595 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:33,080 Speaker 3: one distinction is the regular Farmer's Almanac is the one 596 00:32:33,120 --> 00:32:35,880 Speaker 3: that they sort of claimed that you could hang it 597 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:38,640 Speaker 3: up in the outhouse specifically so you could use it 598 00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:40,560 Speaker 3: as a reference or to wipe your butt. 599 00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:44,080 Speaker 2: So both of them said, well, we started drilling this, 600 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:46,880 Speaker 2: you know, beforehand, drilling the hole in beforehand, so it 601 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:51,400 Speaker 2: arrives pre drilled. Whoever started it will probably never know. 602 00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:55,560 Speaker 2: And that's just a really good example of Farmer's Almanac 603 00:32:55,600 --> 00:32:59,240 Speaker 2: and Old Farmer's Almanac rivalry, Like they both have the 604 00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:02,040 Speaker 2: audacities say nope, it was us, and here's the identical story. 605 00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:04,560 Speaker 2: The other one is telling of why we started doing it. 606 00:33:04,880 --> 00:33:05,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, totally. 607 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:09,440 Speaker 2: There's another. There's a trial that Abraham Lincoln was a 608 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:13,040 Speaker 2: part of called the Almanac Trial, where almanacs played an 609 00:33:13,080 --> 00:33:14,400 Speaker 2: outsize role in it too. 610 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:19,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, this is kind of fun. Lincoln was defending a 611 00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:23,080 Speaker 3: friend of his son who was accused of murder. Didn't 612 00:33:23,120 --> 00:33:24,840 Speaker 3: do a lot of these criminal trials, but since it 613 00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:27,040 Speaker 3: was a pal, he was like, sure, I'll step up. 614 00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:30,640 Speaker 3: And in the trial there was this very Brady bunchy 615 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:33,120 Speaker 3: kind of thing that happened. He did not throw his 616 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:34,240 Speaker 3: briefcase on the floor. 617 00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:36,720 Speaker 2: Man. That was a good episode. 618 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:40,080 Speaker 3: That was a good episode if you've never seen The 619 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:44,680 Speaker 3: Brady Bunch, it's a great trial scene where mister Brady 620 00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:48,360 Speaker 3: there was I think the guy suing or something, I 621 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:49,600 Speaker 3: had a neck brace on. 622 00:33:49,760 --> 00:33:52,800 Speaker 2: Said he had whiplash from being rear ended by right. 623 00:33:53,440 --> 00:33:55,680 Speaker 3: That's right, that's what it was, and no one believed 624 00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:58,440 Speaker 3: the guy. And during the middle of the court scene, 625 00:33:59,080 --> 00:34:01,400 Speaker 3: mister Brady throw his briefcase on the floor and it 626 00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:03,920 Speaker 3: lands with a thud, and the man twists his neck, 627 00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:06,920 Speaker 3: which he would not be able to do had he 628 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:07,680 Speaker 3: had a stiff neck. 629 00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:10,759 Speaker 2: They jerked over to look to see what that sound was. 630 00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:14,960 Speaker 2: Mike Brady stood up and shook his fists and screamed 631 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:17,360 Speaker 2: this primal scream. It was one of the most bizarre 632 00:34:17,400 --> 00:34:18,800 Speaker 2: moments in TV history. 633 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:24,040 Speaker 3: It was really great. But Lincoln did something similar when 634 00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:29,080 Speaker 3: the I believe the prosecution said I saw the defendant 635 00:34:29,719 --> 00:34:32,760 Speaker 3: beating a victim over the head at eleven PM. Lincoln 636 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:34,440 Speaker 3: said well, how did you know it was him? At 637 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:37,359 Speaker 3: eleven pm? And the witness said the moon was high 638 00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:40,880 Speaker 3: and bright in the sky, and Lincoln said aha, and 639 00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:43,920 Speaker 3: through his figure into a briefcase by holding up a 640 00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:47,319 Speaker 3: farmer's almanac and pointing out that no, no, no, we 641 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:50,719 Speaker 3: can actually see that the moon was not bright and 642 00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:53,359 Speaker 3: high in the sky on that night. And Lincoln won 643 00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:57,240 Speaker 3: that case. And both almanacs say, yeah, that was us. 644 00:34:57,880 --> 00:34:58,880 Speaker 3: Apparently it was neither. 645 00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:01,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, there was a The foreman of the jury said 646 00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:06,480 Speaker 2: it was a Jane's Almanac, spelled like Thomas Jane. Yeah, 647 00:35:06,560 --> 00:35:09,240 Speaker 2: exactly who knew he was going to make an appearance 648 00:35:09,239 --> 00:35:10,000 Speaker 2: in this episode? 649 00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:12,160 Speaker 3: Me or the Brady Bunch. This is all over the map. 650 00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:13,960 Speaker 3: That was Miami vice. 651 00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:17,760 Speaker 2: I read a little kind of brief on the Almanac trial, 652 00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:27,000 Speaker 2: and apparently Lincoln's almost said host his client and I 653 00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:28,759 Speaker 2: am not in top form today. I'll tell you that 654 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:32,200 Speaker 2: his client was just guilty a sin. Apparently one of 655 00:35:32,239 --> 00:35:36,279 Speaker 2: his own defense witnesses said, you can put me on 656 00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:38,280 Speaker 2: the stand, but you want to be careful what questions 657 00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:39,960 Speaker 2: you asked me, because you're not going to want to know. 658 00:35:40,480 --> 00:35:41,960 Speaker 2: You're not going to want to hear what I have 659 00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:46,919 Speaker 2: to say, so he done exactly, so he knew that 660 00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:49,319 Speaker 2: that this guy was guilty, and he still defended him 661 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:52,600 Speaker 2: and got him acquitted, which is not Lincoln ask But 662 00:35:52,680 --> 00:35:56,280 Speaker 2: apparently after he became president kind of made some moves 663 00:35:56,320 --> 00:35:59,440 Speaker 2: to get another guy who had been convicted as an 664 00:35:59,440 --> 00:36:02,840 Speaker 2: accomplished released from prison because he knew that it was 665 00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:06,480 Speaker 2: actually the guy who he had gotten acquitted. Oh well, 666 00:36:06,480 --> 00:36:09,480 Speaker 2: that's nice, it is, but it's some shady Lincoln stuff. 667 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:14,440 Speaker 2: That's just it's not in his character, or at least 668 00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:17,320 Speaker 2: the character we understand. And the author of this post 669 00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:19,560 Speaker 2: on it said that they kind of chalked it up 670 00:36:19,560 --> 00:36:22,920 Speaker 2: to he was presented with one of those terrible moral 671 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:25,760 Speaker 2: choices that you know sometimes come along in life, where 672 00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:29,319 Speaker 2: he had to choose between his own, you know, principles 673 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:32,920 Speaker 2: and a friendship that he really cared about, and he 674 00:36:33,080 --> 00:36:36,920 Speaker 2: chose the friendship. So wow, people can excuse things anything 675 00:36:36,960 --> 00:36:39,839 Speaker 2: Lincoln did. We love him in the United States. For 676 00:36:39,840 --> 00:36:42,000 Speaker 2: those of you who live abroad. 677 00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:46,200 Speaker 3: Really quickly, you might like to know that Emily was 678 00:36:46,239 --> 00:36:47,600 Speaker 3: called to jury duty this week. 679 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:48,759 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, how's it going. 680 00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:52,080 Speaker 3: Well, she was excused, but it was it was going 681 00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:54,640 Speaker 3: to be a murder trial. Wow, not crazy, and she 682 00:36:54,719 --> 00:36:56,600 Speaker 3: did not want to be on it, I can imagine. 683 00:36:57,600 --> 00:37:00,160 Speaker 3: And she was excused. But she went down to the 684 00:37:00,280 --> 00:37:03,040 Speaker 3: you know, the what's the vore? Is that what it? 685 00:37:03,760 --> 00:37:05,279 Speaker 2: Yes? Yeah, yeah, nice, she went. 686 00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:08,839 Speaker 3: Yeah, she went through that process and had never been 687 00:37:08,880 --> 00:37:10,680 Speaker 3: that far before, so it was fairly interesting. 688 00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:13,200 Speaker 2: Yeah. Does she know why she was excused? 689 00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:15,919 Speaker 3: She does, and I'll tell you later. 690 00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:17,440 Speaker 2: Okay, great, I can't wait to hear. 691 00:37:18,480 --> 00:37:21,560 Speaker 3: She didn't she didn't like make up stuff that made 692 00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:23,279 Speaker 3: her sound like a bad person or something like that, 693 00:37:23,320 --> 00:37:24,480 Speaker 3: which is a common thing. 694 00:37:24,680 --> 00:37:27,160 Speaker 2: Okay, okay, that's out of her character. 695 00:37:27,560 --> 00:37:30,399 Speaker 3: That's out of her character. All right. So let's get 696 00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:35,560 Speaker 3: to the bottom of this weather thing. The two farmers 697 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:40,280 Speaker 3: Almanacs together, it seems like sell between ten and twelve 698 00:37:40,360 --> 00:37:41,480 Speaker 3: million copies a year. 699 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:42,439 Speaker 2: Is that still wow? 700 00:37:42,960 --> 00:37:45,360 Speaker 3: Which is unbelievable. Yeah, three to five million for the 701 00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:48,200 Speaker 3: old and it said I think six or so for 702 00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:51,000 Speaker 3: the newer one. So I guess it's outpaced the old 703 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:54,560 Speaker 3: Farmer's Almanac sadly. So one of the reasons people still 704 00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:56,520 Speaker 3: buy this and still depend on it is for these 705 00:37:56,520 --> 00:38:01,880 Speaker 3: long range weather forecasts, and they have long touted a 706 00:38:02,320 --> 00:38:06,640 Speaker 3: fifty or I'm sorry, an eighty percent eighty accuracy rate. 707 00:38:07,120 --> 00:38:10,440 Speaker 3: That's crazy, I think you said earlier. Eighteen different regions 708 00:38:10,440 --> 00:38:14,000 Speaker 3: in the US, six regions in Canada for the year 709 00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:18,760 Speaker 3: ahead of time, a year a full or in your case, 710 00:38:19,239 --> 00:38:23,160 Speaker 3: eighteen months ahead of time. And the old story was 711 00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:26,400 Speaker 3: is that the Old Farmer's Almanac had a secret formula 712 00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:30,040 Speaker 3: that Robert Thomas created himself locked in a black box 713 00:38:30,160 --> 00:38:34,560 Speaker 3: in the offices in Dublin, New Hampshire. Apparently editor Janis 714 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:37,640 Speaker 3: Stillman that you referred to went to this box at 715 00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:40,880 Speaker 3: one point found a bunch of handwritten notes from Thomas 716 00:38:40,920 --> 00:38:43,360 Speaker 3: about the weather, but not a secret formula. 717 00:38:43,920 --> 00:38:45,280 Speaker 2: It's like a Heraldo moment. 718 00:38:45,800 --> 00:38:49,040 Speaker 3: And apparently Farmer's Almanac also says they have a secret formula. 719 00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:51,240 Speaker 3: It's everyone. They just keep copying one another. 720 00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:55,560 Speaker 2: I know, it's crazy. So finally, so the Farmer's Almanac, 721 00:38:55,800 --> 00:39:03,720 Speaker 2: the younger of the two, has a pseudonymous pseudonymic yes, pseudonymic, Yeah, exactly, 722 00:39:04,160 --> 00:39:06,880 Speaker 2: I was about I was porky pigan it yea. His 723 00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:09,840 Speaker 2: name is Caleb weather Be. And who knows who Caleb 724 00:39:09,880 --> 00:39:12,160 Speaker 2: Weatherby actually is or how many people have been Caleb 725 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:15,720 Speaker 2: Weatherby over the years, but they say that Caleb Weatherby 726 00:39:15,800 --> 00:39:19,680 Speaker 2: has a secret formula that's used from their founder too, 727 00:39:20,680 --> 00:39:24,279 Speaker 2: So again exact same thing. But finally, in the last 728 00:39:25,040 --> 00:39:28,239 Speaker 2: fifty years, I guess the Old Farmer's Almanac said, we 729 00:39:28,360 --> 00:39:33,279 Speaker 2: actually use modern technology to make these forecasts too. One 730 00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:36,120 Speaker 2: of the things that they use that both seem to 731 00:39:36,239 --> 00:39:41,080 Speaker 2: use apparently that is not necessarily part of typical meteorology, 732 00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:47,080 Speaker 2: is sunspot activity. They take that into consideration when they're 733 00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:51,560 Speaker 2: making these projections, and it's not entirely clear how much 734 00:39:51,640 --> 00:39:55,000 Speaker 2: of an effect sunspot activity has on the weather, although 735 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:58,279 Speaker 2: it's agreed upon that it probably has some effect, but 736 00:39:58,400 --> 00:40:01,920 Speaker 2: whether it has any effect or not. Both almanacs almost 737 00:40:01,960 --> 00:40:07,160 Speaker 2: are duty bound to include considerations of sunspot activity in 738 00:40:07,239 --> 00:40:10,000 Speaker 2: their weather forecast because that is what the readers want 739 00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:10,520 Speaker 2: from them. 740 00:40:10,920 --> 00:40:14,880 Speaker 3: I mean, that's kind of explains everything about why the 741 00:40:14,920 --> 00:40:18,000 Speaker 3: Farmer's Almanac is still around. They don't want it changed, 742 00:40:18,239 --> 00:40:21,080 Speaker 3: they want it to be what it is. There's a 743 00:40:21,160 --> 00:40:26,040 Speaker 3: guy named Tim Clark who wrote for about four decades 744 00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:29,439 Speaker 3: in the Farmer's Almanac, the Old Farmer's Almanac excuse me, yeah, 745 00:40:29,560 --> 00:40:32,040 Speaker 3: and did a lot of lectures and interviews about it. 746 00:40:32,040 --> 00:40:36,120 Speaker 3: Died a couple of years ago, and he very specifically 747 00:40:36,160 --> 00:40:39,440 Speaker 3: talks about the fact that like people want it to 748 00:40:39,480 --> 00:40:42,400 Speaker 3: be the same. People have been disappointed when they know 749 00:40:42,480 --> 00:40:47,959 Speaker 3: we use more modern ways to predict weather, and even 750 00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:50,719 Speaker 3: when we're not right, people want us to be right, 751 00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:53,640 Speaker 3: so they sort of either remember us as being right 752 00:40:53,840 --> 00:40:56,800 Speaker 3: or think we're right even when we're not right exactly, 753 00:40:56,840 --> 00:40:58,879 Speaker 3: which is kind of funny. But when you look at 754 00:40:58,920 --> 00:41:02,399 Speaker 3: what they're doing as far as an eighty percent success rate, 755 00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:05,720 Speaker 3: and we'll get to eat whether or not that's even true. 756 00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:11,279 Speaker 3: Is they They just do sort of a historical average, 757 00:41:11,320 --> 00:41:14,920 Speaker 3: like a peak at historical averages I think over thirty 758 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:16,239 Speaker 3: years of rain they. 759 00:41:16,280 --> 00:41:17,880 Speaker 2: Called climate normals. 760 00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:22,280 Speaker 3: Yeah, temperature and precipitation basically, and then for each region, 761 00:41:22,440 --> 00:41:25,600 Speaker 3: for each season of the year, they're gonna say, all right, 762 00:41:25,719 --> 00:41:28,000 Speaker 3: is it going to rain a little more or less? 763 00:41:28,280 --> 00:41:30,640 Speaker 3: And is it going to be hotter and cooler than 764 00:41:30,680 --> 00:41:32,560 Speaker 3: it has been over that thirty year average. 765 00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:35,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, they don't. They don't go into like, on you know, 766 00:41:36,239 --> 00:41:41,120 Speaker 2: July twenty eighth, it's going to be you know, ninety 767 00:41:41,160 --> 00:41:45,879 Speaker 2: two degrees in the South. They don't do that. As 768 00:41:45,880 --> 00:41:48,160 Speaker 2: far as I know, I haven't gotten my first copy yet, 769 00:41:48,160 --> 00:41:51,000 Speaker 2: but from what I understand, they make these generalizations, not 770 00:41:51,120 --> 00:41:54,480 Speaker 2: actual forecasts. And so what they say is if it's 771 00:41:54,560 --> 00:41:57,200 Speaker 2: even if they say that it's going to be hotter 772 00:41:57,480 --> 00:42:00,000 Speaker 2: than normal, even if they say much hotter than normal, 773 00:42:00,560 --> 00:42:04,400 Speaker 2: if it's even a half a degree over that thirty 774 00:42:04,480 --> 00:42:08,239 Speaker 2: year climate normal average, they're like, we were correct. Count 775 00:42:08,239 --> 00:42:08,640 Speaker 2: it as. 776 00:42:08,480 --> 00:42:10,720 Speaker 3: Correct, and they are technically they are. 777 00:42:10,520 --> 00:42:13,759 Speaker 2: Technically, especially if you just take any qualifier out, like 778 00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:16,759 Speaker 2: much hotter and just go with hotter than average, they 779 00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:20,600 Speaker 2: are correct. And that's how they say that they hit 780 00:42:20,640 --> 00:42:24,680 Speaker 2: that eighty percent mark. The thing is is there've been studies. 781 00:42:24,800 --> 00:42:29,239 Speaker 2: Meteorologists love to take potshots at the farmer's almanacs, any 782 00:42:29,239 --> 00:42:32,480 Speaker 2: farmer's almanac, because they're like, it's impossible to predict the 783 00:42:32,480 --> 00:42:36,879 Speaker 2: weather a year out. Noah has ninety day forecasts, they're 784 00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:41,200 Speaker 2: sixty percent accurate. These guys are using every available technology 785 00:42:41,239 --> 00:42:43,920 Speaker 2: to create these forecasts, and they can only hit sixty 786 00:42:43,960 --> 00:42:47,600 Speaker 2: percent ninety days out. The meteorologists are like, nobody can 787 00:42:47,600 --> 00:42:51,480 Speaker 2: predict the weather anywhere accurately, especially for a whole season 788 00:42:51,600 --> 00:42:54,440 Speaker 2: in an entire region, a full year out. And so 789 00:42:54,560 --> 00:42:57,640 Speaker 2: people have done studies on just how accurate they are, 790 00:42:57,680 --> 00:43:00,000 Speaker 2: and they usually come up short of eighty percent. 791 00:43:00,480 --> 00:43:03,239 Speaker 3: Yeah, they always come up short of eighty and it 792 00:43:03,320 --> 00:43:06,319 Speaker 3: sort of ranges, I think by year. I think in 793 00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:12,480 Speaker 3: twenty twenty one twenty two, over that winter, those the 794 00:43:12,880 --> 00:43:16,279 Speaker 3: woman from the Golden Gate Weather Service named Jan Null 795 00:43:16,960 --> 00:43:19,960 Speaker 3: calculated this one out and she found for the winter 796 00:43:20,560 --> 00:43:24,840 Speaker 3: twenty one twenty two that for precipitation the almanac was 797 00:43:24,920 --> 00:43:28,960 Speaker 3: forty percent correct and for temperature only six percent correct. 798 00:43:29,400 --> 00:43:33,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, at the Old Farmer's Almanac offices they call her 799 00:43:33,120 --> 00:43:35,279 Speaker 2: Jan Noll. The nulla fire. 800 00:43:37,280 --> 00:43:42,160 Speaker 3: Fifty to fifty two percent is what they found. I 801 00:43:42,160 --> 00:43:47,480 Speaker 3: think generally the University of Illinois was behind that one. 802 00:43:47,600 --> 00:43:50,400 Speaker 3: So that's like it's sort of in flip a coin territory. 803 00:43:50,719 --> 00:43:53,839 Speaker 2: Yeah, and Tim Clark says people want them to be right, 804 00:43:54,640 --> 00:43:58,000 Speaker 2: that it's basically just confirmation bias, that you know, when 805 00:43:58,000 --> 00:44:02,120 Speaker 2: they're right, people remember it. When they're they forget, and 806 00:44:02,200 --> 00:44:06,759 Speaker 2: it's I can't speak for everybody. I mean people who 807 00:44:06,800 --> 00:44:09,359 Speaker 2: are like gardeners and like small farmers and stuff, they'll 808 00:44:09,400 --> 00:44:11,960 Speaker 2: buy the Farmer's Almanac and maybe plan when they're going 809 00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:16,359 Speaker 2: to start their garden or harvest crops based on those predictions. 810 00:44:16,840 --> 00:44:19,760 Speaker 2: But there's not like hard feelings at the farmer's almanac 811 00:44:19,840 --> 00:44:22,560 Speaker 2: if they get it wrong, because it means so much 812 00:44:22,600 --> 00:44:25,520 Speaker 2: more than that. It's like this last outpost, this last bastion, 813 00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:30,840 Speaker 2: holding down, like an agrarian past that just refuses to 814 00:44:30,880 --> 00:44:33,920 Speaker 2: give way because the almanacs are keeping it going. And 815 00:44:33,960 --> 00:44:36,239 Speaker 2: so it's almost to me the reason I ordered it 816 00:44:36,239 --> 00:44:39,160 Speaker 2: is it's like a respite from the modern world. Yeah, 817 00:44:39,239 --> 00:44:43,200 Speaker 2: and just kind of stepping through like this a wardrobe, 818 00:44:43,239 --> 00:44:47,040 Speaker 2: if you will, and entering a new world where there's 819 00:44:47,120 --> 00:44:50,560 Speaker 2: acorns everywhere and you can predict how bad the weather's 820 00:44:50,600 --> 00:44:53,919 Speaker 2: going to be by how many squirrels are gathering those 821 00:44:53,960 --> 00:44:57,359 Speaker 2: acorns on any given day in the fall. Just things 822 00:44:57,400 --> 00:45:01,120 Speaker 2: that like, it doesn't matter if they're scientific. It's draws 823 00:45:01,120 --> 00:45:04,719 Speaker 2: your attention to an important part of the world, which 824 00:45:04,760 --> 00:45:08,440 Speaker 2: is nature. It's still there and you it just makes 825 00:45:08,480 --> 00:45:10,800 Speaker 2: you focus your attention on it for a little while, 826 00:45:11,160 --> 00:45:13,840 Speaker 2: and it's it's that's great. That's all that's all it 827 00:45:13,920 --> 00:45:18,560 Speaker 2: needs to do to exist happily. As far as I'm concerned. 828 00:45:18,239 --> 00:45:21,160 Speaker 3: I agree. It's not like, oh, well, we have modern 829 00:45:21,200 --> 00:45:25,560 Speaker 3: technology now to work correctly predict weather, So we should 830 00:45:25,640 --> 00:45:29,359 Speaker 3: get rid of this long the longest standing periodical in 831 00:45:29,400 --> 00:45:32,640 Speaker 3: North America, right, and all that, you know, kind of 832 00:45:32,640 --> 00:45:37,560 Speaker 3: goofy folksy charm and jokes and poetry like I guess 833 00:45:37,560 --> 00:45:39,080 Speaker 3: they could say, well, like, yeah, do all that, but 834 00:45:39,160 --> 00:45:42,680 Speaker 3: don't do the weather. But I mean, who cares. Yeah, 835 00:45:42,840 --> 00:45:44,239 Speaker 3: no one's living or dying by this thing. 836 00:45:44,680 --> 00:45:46,839 Speaker 2: I mean, the very fact that we have that technology 837 00:45:46,920 --> 00:45:50,600 Speaker 2: means we should keep the Farmer's Almond out just as 838 00:45:50,640 --> 00:45:53,000 Speaker 2: a reminder of other ways to be in think too. 839 00:45:53,040 --> 00:45:54,680 Speaker 3: I agree, you don't know your past, you don't know 840 00:45:54,719 --> 00:45:55,200 Speaker 3: your future. 841 00:45:55,600 --> 00:45:58,000 Speaker 2: Man, well put chuck. You know who would love that 842 00:45:58,160 --> 00:46:02,240 Speaker 2: as a slogan on a T shirt, Philip Michael Thomas. 843 00:46:02,560 --> 00:46:08,640 Speaker 2: I agreed, Thank you, Chuck. If you want to know 844 00:46:08,719 --> 00:46:11,560 Speaker 2: more about the Farmer's Almanac, the Old Farmer's Almanac, any 845 00:46:11,600 --> 00:46:15,040 Speaker 2: almanac really, you can just go look online, ironically and 846 00:46:15,080 --> 00:46:17,000 Speaker 2: find them and order them and hang them up in 847 00:46:17,040 --> 00:46:21,320 Speaker 2: your outhouse and get all retro. And since I said outhouse, 848 00:46:21,560 --> 00:46:22,840 Speaker 2: that means it's time for a listener. 849 00:46:22,880 --> 00:46:30,360 Speaker 3: May I'm gonna call this Noam Chomsky Lives. Okay, Hey, guys, 850 00:46:30,480 --> 00:46:32,919 Speaker 3: love the show. It's one of those things that can 851 00:46:32,920 --> 00:46:34,839 Speaker 3: comfort me when times are tough. And thanks for all 852 00:46:34,880 --> 00:46:37,960 Speaker 3: you do. And I remember we weren't sure if Noam 853 00:46:38,000 --> 00:46:40,480 Speaker 3: Chomsky was alive or dead, and we don't like to 854 00:46:40,480 --> 00:46:41,920 Speaker 3: stop and look things up while we go. 855 00:46:42,440 --> 00:46:43,359 Speaker 2: No who wants to do that. 856 00:46:43,480 --> 00:46:47,319 Speaker 3: Nobody likes that. By the way, Chomsky is very much alive, 857 00:46:47,360 --> 00:46:49,959 Speaker 3: you guys. Yeah, he changed my view of the world 858 00:46:50,040 --> 00:46:52,400 Speaker 3: when I stumbled upon YouTube videos of his talks in 859 00:46:52,440 --> 00:46:55,640 Speaker 3: high school. He's incredibly well read, more so than any 860 00:46:55,640 --> 00:46:59,200 Speaker 3: other public intellectual I've heard of. And even if you're 861 00:46:59,200 --> 00:47:06,280 Speaker 3: not down with the whole and neck pro syndicalis thing nice. Wow, 862 00:47:06,680 --> 00:47:08,640 Speaker 3: it's worth reading at least one of his political books 863 00:47:08,640 --> 00:47:10,759 Speaker 3: to get a more thorough grasp of how the US 864 00:47:10,800 --> 00:47:14,040 Speaker 3: empire works. For instance, he was actually the first one 865 00:47:14,040 --> 00:47:16,880 Speaker 3: who taught me about our old buddy Edward Burnes and 866 00:47:16,920 --> 00:47:19,440 Speaker 3: his ilk and all the fun things that the CIA 867 00:47:19,560 --> 00:47:22,840 Speaker 3: has done abroad. And that's from Sam. 868 00:47:23,040 --> 00:47:26,640 Speaker 2: Thanks a lot, Sam much appreciated. Still alive. 869 00:47:26,719 --> 00:47:27,960 Speaker 3: Huh, still alive? 870 00:47:28,239 --> 00:47:31,440 Speaker 2: Did not know that? Well, if you want to let 871 00:47:31,560 --> 00:47:33,719 Speaker 2: us know that somebody's still alive, we want to hear 872 00:47:33,800 --> 00:47:36,840 Speaker 2: that kind of thing, especially if we thought they were dead. 873 00:47:37,480 --> 00:47:40,360 Speaker 2: You can send it to us via email like Sam 874 00:47:40,400 --> 00:47:47,480 Speaker 2: did to stuff podcasts at iHeartRadio dot com. Stuff you 875 00:47:47,480 --> 00:47:49,399 Speaker 2: Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio. 876 00:47:49,880 --> 00:47:53,080 Speaker 1: For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 877 00:47:53,280 --> 00:48:02,720 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.