An almanac (also spelled almanack and almanach) is an annual publication containing tabular information in a particular field or fields often arranged according to the calendar. The word Calendar consist of two words 1 Cal ( in Pashto means Year in Hindi and Persian is Sal- also means Year Astronomical data and various statistics are also found in almanacs, such as the times of the rising and setting of the sun and moon, eclipses, hours of full tide, stated festivals of churches, terms of courts, lists of all types, timelines, and more. Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when one Celestial object moves into the shadow of another Characteristics A tide is a repeated cycle of sea level changes in the following stages Over several hours the water rises or advances up a beach in the flood
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Etymology
The word "almanac" was borrowed into English from the al-manakh[1]. The ultimate origin of the word is unknown[2], but both Arabic manah[3], "to reckon", and Egyptian almenichiata[4], "the supernatural rulers of the celestial bodies", have been suggested. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Egyptian is an Afro-Asiatic language most closely related to the Berber, Semitic, Somali and Beja languages
Early almanacs
The origin of the almanac can be traced back to ancient Babylonian astronomy, when tables of planetary periods were produced in order to predict lunar and planetary phenomena. Babylonian astronomy refers to the astronomical theories and methods that were developed in ancient Mesopotamia, the "land between the rivers" Tigris [1]
The precursor to the almanac was the Hellenistic astronomical and meteorological calendar, the parapegma, an inscribed stone, the days of the month indicated by movable pegs inserted into bored holes. This article focuses on the cultural aspects of the Hellenistic age for the historical aspects see Hellenistic period. According to Diogenes Laertius, Parapegma was the title of a book by Democritus. Diogenes Laërtius ( Greek:, Diogénes Laértios) the biographer of the Greek Philosophers, is supposed by some to have received his surname Democritus ( Greek:) was a pre-Socratic Greek Materialist Philosopher (born at Abdera in Thrace ca Ptolemy, the Alexandrian astronomer (2nd century) wrote a treatise, Phaseis—"phases of fixed stars and collection of weather-changes" is the translation of its full title—the core of which is a parapegma, a list of dates of seasonally regular weather changes, first appearances and last appearances of stars or constellations at sunrise or sunset, and solar events such as solstices, all organized according to the solar year. Claudius Ptolemaeus ( Greek: Klaúdios Ptolemaîos; after 83 &ndash ca Alexandria ( Egyptian Arabic: اسكندريه Eskendereyya; Standard Arabic: ar الإسكندرية Al-Iskandariyya; Ἀλεξάνδρεια The 2nd century is the period from 101 to 200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. A star is a massive luminous ball of plasma. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the Energy on Earth In common usage a constellation is a group of celestial bodies that are connected together in some arrangement typically stars to form a visible figure or picture Solstices occur twice a year when the tilt of the Earth's axis is most oriented toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun to reach its northernmost and southernmost extremes With the astronomical computations were expected weather phenomena, composed as a digest of observations made by various authorities of the past. Parapegmata had been composed for centuries. Similar treatises called Zij were later composed in medieval Islamic astronomy. Zīj ( Arabic: زيج) is the generic name applied to Arabic astronomical books that tabulate parameters used for astronomical calculations of
Ptolemy believed that the astronomical phenomena caused the changes in seasonal weather; his explanation of why there was not an exact correlation of these events was that the physical influences of other heavenly bodies also came into play. Hence for him, weather prediction was a special division of astrology. Astrology (from Greek grc ἄστρον astron, "constellation star" and grc -λογία -logia) is a group of Systems [5]
The modern almanac differs from Babylonian, Ptolemaic and Zij tables in the sense that "the entries found in the almanacs give directly the positions of the celestial bodies and need no further computation", in contrast to the more common "auxiliary astronomical tables" based on Ptolemy's Almagest. Zīj ( Arabic: زيج) is the generic name applied to Arabic astronomical books that tabulate parameters used for astronomical calculations of The earliest known almanac in this modern sense is the Almanac of Azarqueil written in 1088 by Abū Ishāq Ibrāhīm al-Zarqālī (Latinized as Azarqueil) in Toledo, al-Andalus. Toledo Spain locationpng|thumb|right|200px|Location of Toledo in Spain Al-Andalus (الأندلس was the Arabic name given to those parts of the Iberian Peninsula governed by Muslims or The work provided the true daily positions of the sun, moon and planets for four years from 1088 to 1092, as well as many other related tables. A Latin translation and adaptation of the work appeared as the Tables of Toledo in the 12th century and the Alfonsine tables in the 13th century. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Gerard of Cremona (1114–1187 edited for Latin readers the Tables of Toledo ( Toledan Tables) the most accurate compilation of The Alfonsine tables (sometimes spelled Alphonsine tables) were Ephemeris (astronomical tables drawn up at Toledo by order of [6]
After almanacs were devised, people still saw little difference between predicting the movements of the stars and tides, and predicting the future in the divination sense. Divination (from Latin divinare "to be inspired by a god" related to Divine, Diva and Deus) is the attempt of ascertaining Early almanacs therefore contained general horoscopes, as well as the more concrete information. In Astrology, a horoscope is a chart or diagram representing the positions of the Sun Moon planets the Astrological aspects, and sensitive angles In 1150 Solomon Jarchus created such an almanac considered to be among the first modern almanacs. Copies of 12th century almanacs are found in the British Museum, and in the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. In 1300 Petrus de Dacia created an almanac (Savilian Library, Oxford). This was the same year Roger Bacon, OFM, produced his as well. In 1327 Walter de Elvendene created an almanac and later on John Somers of Oxford, in 1380. In 1386 Nicholas de Lynne, Oxford produced an almanac. In 1457 the first printed almanac was published at Mainz, by Gutenberg. Regio-Montanus produced an almanac in 1472 (Nuremberg, 1472), which was continued in print for several centuries in many editions. In 1497 the Sheapheard’s Kalendar, translated from French (Richard Pynson) is the first English printed almanac. Richard Allestree's almanac is one of the first modern English almanacs (London ; William Stansby, 1633). William Stansby (1572 &ndash 1638 was a London printer and publisher of the Jacobean and Caroline eras working under his own name from 1610 In British America William Pierce of Harvard College published the first American almanac entitled, An Almanac for New England for the year 1639 Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard became the first center for the annual publication of almanacs with various editors including Samuel Danforth, Oakes, Cheever, Chauncey, Dudley, Foster, et alia. An almanac maker going under the pseudonym of Poor Richard, Knight of the Burnt Island began to publish [Poor Robin's Almanack] one of the first comic almanacs that parodied these horoscopes in its 1664 issue, saying "This month we may expect to hear of the Death of some Man, Woman, or Child, either in Kent or Christendom. " Other noteworthy comic almanacs include those published from 1687-1702 by John Tully of Saybrook, Connecticut. The most important early American almanacs were made from 1726-1775 by Nathaniel Ames of Dedham, Massachusetts. A few years later James Franklin began publishing the Rhode-Island Almanack beginning in 1728. Five years later his brother Benjamin Franklin began publishing, Poor Richard’s Almanack from 1733-1758. The best source for American almanacs is Milton Drake, Almanacs of the United States, 2 volumes.
Contemporary almanacs
Currently published almanacs such as Whitaker's Almanack have expanded their scope and contents beyond that of their historical counterparts. Whitaker's Almanack is a reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. Modern almanacs include a comprehensive presentation of statististical and descriptive data covering the entire world. Contents also include discussions of topical developments and a summary of recent historical events. Other currently published almanacs (ca. 2006) include TIME Almanac with Information Please, World Almanac and Book of Facts, and The Old Farmer's Almanac. TIME Almanac with Information Please is an Almanac annually published in the United States. The World Almanac and Book of Facts is an American-published Reference work and is the bestselling almanac conveying information about such subjects as world changes The Old Farmer's Almanac is a reference book that contains Weather forecasts Tide tables planting charts astronomical data Recipes
Major topics covered by almanacs (reflected by their tables of contents) include: geography, government, demographics, agriculture, economics and business, health and medicine, religion, mass media, transportation, science and technology, sport, and awards/prizes. Geography (from Greek γεωγραφία - geografia) is the study of the Earth and its lands features inhabitants and phenomena For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. Demographics or demographic data refers to selected population characteristics as used in government Marketing or opinion research or the Demographic profiles Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Economics is the social science that studies the production distribution, and consumption of goods and services. A business (also called firm or an enterprise) is a legally recognized organizational entity designed to provide goods and/or services to Health is a state of complete physical mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos "Popular press" redirects here note that the University of Wisconsin Press publishes under the imprint "The Popular Press" Transport or transportation is the movement of people and goods from one place to another Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding Technology is a broad concept that deals with a Species ' usage and knowledge of Tools and Crafts and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt Sport is an Activity that is governed by a set of rules or Customs and often engaged in competitively An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize Excellence in a certain field a certificate of excellence A prize is an Award given to a person or a group of people to recognise and reward actions or achievements
Modern or contemporary use of the word almanac has come to mean a chronology or time-table of events such as The Almanac of American Politics published by the National Journal, or The Almanac of American Literature, etc. The Almanac of American Politics is a Reference work published biennially by the National Journal Group. National Journal is a weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends .
Almanacs by Country of Publication
France
Germany
- Fischer Weltalmanach
United Kingdom
United States of America
- New York Times Almanac
- Old Farmer's Almanac
- TIME Almanac with Information Please
- World Almanac and Book of Facts
See also
- Yearbook
- List of almanacs
- Gazetteer
- Tonalamatl, the Aztec divinatory almanac
- Panchangam
- Panjika, Hindu astrological almanac in Assamese, Bengali and Oriya
- Encyclopedia
Notes
- ^ a b (Glick, Livesey & Wallis 2005, p. Quid is a French Encyclopedia, established in 1963 by Dominique Frémy. Whitaker's Almanack is a reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The New York Times Almanac is an Almanac published in the United States. The Old Farmer's Almanac is a reference book that contains Weather forecasts Tide tables planting charts astronomical data Recipes TIME Almanac with Information Please is an Almanac annually published in the United States. The World Almanac and Book of Facts is an American-published Reference work and is the bestselling almanac conveying information about such subjects as world changes A yearbook, also known as an annual is a book to record highlight and commemorate the past year of a School or a book published annually This article gives a list of various Almanacs Note that almanac can also be spelled almanack, and some of the publications listed use this form A gazetteer is a geographical Dictionary or directory, an important reference for information about places and place names (see Toponomy) used in conjunction The tonalamatl is a divinatory Almanac used in central Mexico in the decades and perhaps centuries leading up to the Spanish conquest. Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who achieved political A panchangam ( Sanskrit pañcāṅgam) is a Hindu Astrological almanac (or Calendar) which follows traditional Indian cosmology The panjika (পঞ্জিকা ponjika) is the Hindu Astrological Almanac, published in Assamese, Bengali and A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical Assamese (অসমীয়া) (ɔxɔmija is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language, spoken mainly in the state of Assam in North-East Oriya (ଓଡ଼ିଆ oṛiā) is one of the Indian Languages mainly spoken in the Indian state of Orissa. An encyclopedia (or '''encyclopædia''') is a comprehensive written Compendium that contains Information on either all branches of Knowledge 29)
- ^ Chabás, José (2000). Astronomy in the Iberian Peninsula.
- ^ Dionysius Lardner (1855). The Museum of Science and Art. Walton and Maberly, 2.
- ^ George W. H. Lampe, A Patristic Greek Lexicon (Oxford, 1961) : 78
- ^ Ptolemy's Astronomical Works (other than the Almagest). Retrieved on 2007-04-16. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1178 BC - A Solar eclipse may have marked the return of Odysseus, legendary King of Ithaca, to his kingdom
- ^ (Glick, Livesey & Wallis 2005, p. 30)
References
- Glick, Thomas F. ; Steven John Livesey & Faith Wallis (2005), Medieval Science, Technology, and Medicine: An Encyclopedia, Routledge, ISBN 0415969301
External links
- American Almanac Collection - Ball State University Archives and Special Collections Research Center
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