"The Farmer's Almanac" is a book filled with recorded astronomical events, from the daily rising and setting of the sun to tides and weather conditions. The common denominator in each of the events is its relationship to the time it occurred along with other events. Using this collection of recordings, meteorologists compared their current state of the same factors and predicted weather conditions for the year to come.
The first editor of "The Farmer’s Almanac" was Robert B. Thomas, who published the premiere edition in New England in 1792. At that time, studying astrology was a fairly common pastime, and many serious astrologers recorded their findings in almanacs and sold them to interested readers. Thomas’ almanac, however, became an instant success because his recordings were more accurate and because he combined weather predictions and entertainment in a style that drew in his reading audience. In 1848, two years after Thomas' death, the almanac's new editor, John H. Jenks, added the word “old” to the publication's title, and to this day it’s known as “The Old Farmer’s Almanac.”
Thomas wanted to be able to predict weather by creating an established formula developed through his studies of astrology and climatic events and through natural cycles. His purpose was to give farmers an insight of oncoming weather conditions, including expected rainfall, storms and season highlights, so that they could prepare accordingly. For example, the almanac would predict whether winter would be mild or severe, or short or long, enabling farmers to plan their crops and harvest better.
Throughout its history, the almanac has maintained its record of 80 percent accuracy and has been used by people in all industries as an insight to upcoming weather conditions. The predictions have enabled them to prepare for unusual weather conditions and climatic changes. In many cases, a winter that was violently cold with heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions was of no surprise to anyone who owned a copy of the yearly almanac because the conditions were predicted.
Popularity of "The Old Farmer’s Almanac" has continued to grow over the years. In 1942, a copy of the almanac was found on a German spy who was in the United States. U.S. officials thought that perhaps the Germans used the almanac's weather forecasting information.
Maintaining its bestseller standing, the yearly publication surpassed 4 million in circulation in the 1990s. Janice Stillman became the almanac's 13th editor in 2000; she also was its first woman editor.