The Old Farmer's Almanac 2000 [2000 ed.] 1571981519, 9781571981516

Citation preview

SPECIAL MILLENNIUM COLLECTOR'S EDITION

utumn

is

our favorite time of

the year. That's because every

fall

208 years, The Old Farmer's Almanac hzs appeared in bookstores and on newsstands, offering readers an informative and entertaining guide to the for the past

From the Thomas in

year ahead.

first

Robert B.

1792, to the copy you are

edition, published

by

holding in your hands, the Almanac has featured daily astronomical data, useful reference charts,

planting tables and

commonsense

tips, puzzles,

and our famous weather

advice,

forecasts.

For the year 2000, the Special Millennium

Almanac is chock-fiall and figures for every day, as well as all-new feature stories and practical advice. As you would expect, the Almanac Collector's Edition of the

of up-to-the-minute

facts

takes this remarkable calendar opportunity to look forward and backward to help us all make

sense of the fascinating journey ahead.

some of the "Relax! All"

Maybe

ferent

It's

Not

year

it's

7509

date.

For

in the Byzantine calendar.

"Best Sky Sights of the Next Century anteed!"

fever,

healing to review several of the dif-

it

ways calendars are recording this

example,

are

the Milleimium After

danger of catching Y2K

If you're in

you'll find

Here

highlights you'll find in this issue:

— Guar-

If you like to plan ahead, this article

is for you. The next total eclipse of the Sun will be seen in America in 2017, and 2061 will see a

spectacular visit

from Halley's Comet.

"So You Want to really useftxl

Make a Time Capsule?"

A

guide for anyone or any group plan-

ning to create a time capsule.

"A Poultry Primer author provides

all

for the Year

2000"

the information

order to consider having your very

The

you need

own

in

flock.

"The Most Important Inventions of the Past 2,000 Years"

Scientists and experts around the world nominate their favorite invention.

"How to Become Less)"

a Prophet (in 24

Hours or

Six simple rules, with practical examples

for each, that

anyone can follow to achieve recog-

nition as a prophet. continued on back flap

NuMBKR Two Hundred and Eight

THE

Old Farmer's Almanac Calculated on

a

new and improved plan for the year of our Lord

Being Leap Year and (until July Fitted for Boston

and the

4)

224th year of American Independence

New England states,

calculations to answer for

Containing, besides the large

all

with special corrections and

the United States.

number ofAstronomical

Calculations

and the Farmer's Calendar

for every month in the year, a variety of

New, Useful, and Entertaining Matter. Established in

1792

by Robert B. Thomas

What

's

past

is prologue.

- William Shakespeare

Original

Cover T.M. registered in U.S. Patent Office

wood

engraving by Randy Miller

Copyright 1999 by Yanlcee Publishing Incorporated

Library of Congress

ISSN 0078-4516

Card No. 56-29681

Address all editorial correspondence

to

The Old Farmer's Almanac, Dublin, )00

Old Farmer's Almanac

NH

03444

coTue^A The Old Farmer's Weather 44

•

2000

Features

6 Consumer

Forecast Methods

134 General U.S. Forecast

135 Map of U.S.

anac

56

Regions

108

Important

and Trends for 2000

Past 2,000 Years

Inventions of the

112 How to Become

Relax! p'^*®

Maybe

It's

Not

Millennium

the

a Prophet

126

After All

88

The Most

Tastes

Remembering Galveston's

Best Sky Sights of

Night of

the Next Century

Agony

—

Guaranteed!

156

12

Garden Myths and Why

136-155 Regional Forecasts

They're 1.

New

England

136

Greater

3.

Middle Atlantic Coast

4.

Piedmont & Southeast

NewJersey

5.

Florida

6.

Upstate

7.

Greater Ohio Valley

8.

Deep South

9.

Chicago

160 Be Honest: Do You

137

92

to

141

Capsule?

144

.

Know What pH Is?

So You Want Make a Time

140

New York.... 142 .

page 92

138

Coast

102 A Poultry Primer for the

Year 2000

145 page 156

& Southern

Great Lakes 10.

Wrong

New York-

2.

146

Northern Great PlainsGreat Lakes

148

Central Great Plains

12.

Texas-Oklahoma

150

13.

Rocky Mountains

152

.

.

The

149

11.

State of

Romance Year 2000

in the 14.

Desert Southwest .... 153

15.

Pacific Northwest .... 154

16.

California

155

(continued on page 4)

Old Farmer's Almanac

2000

Great Reasons 2 Own a Mantis

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Weeds

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Trims bushes and hedges! Only Mantis has an optional 24" or 30" trimmer bar

9.

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The Mantis Promise. Try any product

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r

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Old Farmer's Almanac

Zip.

(continued from page 2)

172

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According to The Arizona Republic mag-

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one

in

20 Americans has

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personal relationship" (dumped somebody)

over a pet.

The Difference Between Men and

Good News

Women,2000 TASTE.

Women

have

better taste.

—

we're not talking loud ties

No,

A SIGH OF RELIEF FROM WORKING MOMS. University of Massachusetts psychologist

it's

in the

buds themselves. According to Dr. Linda Bartoshuk, who studies sen-

Elizabeth Harvey evaluated

taste

sory processes and nutrition at Yale

children of

didn't

of men, are what she calls "supertasters," possessing unusually

dense

races,

more than 6,000

between the ages

of

3

and 12, and compared those whose mothers

University Medical School, about 35 percent of women, but only 15 percent

all

work at

all for

the

their babies' lives with

first

three years of

those whose mothers

She found that a mother's working has no

did.

adverse effects on children's behavior, men-

development, or self-esteem. "Harvey's

tal

clusters of taste buds.

study suggests that the number of hours spent

A

FIGHTING.

University of Utah re-

away from home

is

not as important as the

searcher found that husbands and wives have different trigger points for

quality of parenting," says Lindsay

arguments. Husbands get angry if their competence or dominance is threat-

opment

Wives

ened.

react to

accusations in-

volving personal relations or compassion.

One thing in common: Frequent fights raise

blood pres-

dale,

Chaselans-

an associate professor of human develat the University of Chicago.

ANOTHER MYTH BITES THE DUST. Sex after menopause? Women lose interest, the theory goes. A recent survey found, however, that a majority of women aged 50 to 65 say their sexual desire and pleasure are just as great as before menopause. THE RETURN OF THE CONDOR. Fourteen years ago, the last nesting female condor

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the wild

sure and encourage heart disease in

died

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PHONE TIME. Men spend utes a day on the

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40 minutes.

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survival will hinge

BLINKING.

Women blink nearly twice as

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—

min-

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Old Farmer's Almanac

2000

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^y^^ A new

look, a

new sound, and

several age-old things you can count on

The edition

of The Old Farmer's Al-

Almanac had nothing to do with the change of centuries. To him, the vacation

manac

not only looks different but

dates of Harvard, Dartmouth, Provi-

Two

dence College, and "Williamstown" College were of far greater interest to his readers. That and a nice recipe for onion

year on the cover of this 208th

sounds

different.

Very

different.

thousand. There's not a single nine in there

—

for the first time since 1888.

We're aware

that there are

some

tle salt,

with the year 2001, and they offer mathematical proof. We have no argument with them. If you accept the

nessed in a pleasure sleigh." In

start

lit-

"and a gill of sweet cream." Finally, he advised his readers not to

allow "young and inexperienced drivers" to take out their horses "har-

he was saying,

effect,

"We all know how irre-

sponsible youngsters are these days."

traditional starting point, they're ab-

In the 1901 edition, Horace Ware, of

you de-

Boston, who'd taken over as the seventh

solutely correct. (But before

"We now

cide for certain, read "Dennis the Short

editor the year before, wrote,

and the Dating Game" on page 58.) No one can dispute, however, that the new sound and the new look not

give hearty greetings to our readers at the

only to this year, 2000, but to

the

the starting point of the first millennium.)

years of the forthcoming centuries,

He included college vacation dates, too.

all

opening of the Twentieth Century." (Obviously, he wasn't of a mind to question

was up

82

will begin at precisely the stroke of

But by 1901, the

midnight, 1999. Surely

tutions of higher learning, including the

that, in itself,

worth celebrating. (What about 2001? Well, we should celebrate then, is

too

— but

for a different reason.)

This Almanac, begun in 1792, has already been through two century changes. In fact, the 21st century will be the fourth century in which we have existed! But the turn of the century went unremarked in the 1 800 and 1 80 editions. Instead, editor and founder Robert B. Thomas concentrated on such things as ridding one's property of barberry bushes and suggesting that the safest place to be during a thun-

derstorm is "within a few feet of your horse which, being more elevated, will receive the shock in preference." His inclusion of certain dates

34

sauce, consisting of a lot of butter, a

people who maintain that neither the third millennium nor the 21st century begins this year. Most of them are adamant that any celebration should

original four.

list

to

insti-

He devoted several pages

Boston and around and the usual advice on a variety of subjects. For instance, he to carriage fares in

the Northeast,

urged his tum-of-the-century readers, if felt at all ill, to avoid hot bread, bis-

they

cuits, tea, strong coffee, all fried

foods.

seasoning, and

He also suggested that the

reason Gohath was so astonished when David hit him with a stone was because "such a thing had never entered his head before." This, apparently, was funny at the last change of centuries. Now we are about to finally grow out

of our "teens." What are

we going to be

when we grow up? The changes we've experienced in the past 100 years have

in the

Old Farmer's Almanac

(continued on page 36)

2000

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Old Farmer's Almanac

70123

Al-NC 35

been mind-boggling. Whereas Editor

The 2000 Edition of

Ware marveled at the "spread of civ-

The Old Farmer's Almanac

ilization," today

we

Established in 1 792

are equally

Robert B.

amazed at the spread of the World Wide Web. What do you suppose we'll be marveling at 100 years

SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Debra Keller

RESEARCH EDITOR: Randy Miller SENIOR CONSULTING EDITOR:

at

On Monday, January Moon will be full at 9:50 P.M., EST. You can count on it. And nine months later, about the

4:23 P.M., EST. 25, 2100, the

middle of September 2 1 00, the 308th

ASTRONOMER: Dr. George Greenstein SOUVR PROGNOSTICATOR: Dr. Richard Head

WEATHER PROGNOSTICATOR: Michael A. Steinberg WEATHER GRAPHICS AND CONSULTATION: Accu- Weather, Inc. ARCHIVIST: Loma Trowbridge CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Bob Berman, Astronomy: Castle Freeman Jr.. Farmer's Calendar PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Susan Gross PAGE PRODUCTION MANAGER: David Ziamowski SENIOR PRODUCTION ARTISTS: Lucille Rines, Rachel Kipka PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Brian Jenkins

consecutive annual edition of this publication will appear, ing,

God

Mary Sheldon

INTERNET EDITOR: Christine Halvorson

Boston, Massachusetts, will enjoy

day

Clark

Margo Letoumeau COPY EDITOR: Ellen Bingham ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR: Mare-Anne Jarvela

nine hours and ten minutes of daywill set that

Tim

EXECUTIVE EDITOR:

ART DIRECTOR:

,

The Sun

766- 1 846), Founder

MANAGING EDITOR: Susan Peery

from

on Friday, January 1 of the year 2100, the people living in

light.

( 1

EDITOR (12th since 1792): Judson D. Hale Sr.

now? What will be important? Well, we at the Almanac can predict some things with certainty. For instance,

and published every year thereafter

Thomas

CREATIVE DIRECTOR, ON-LINE: Stephen O. Muskie

INTERNET PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Lisa Traffic

will-

everywhere throughout the

GROUP PUBLISHER: John Pierce PUBLISHER (23rd since 1792): Sherin Wight

United States and Canada. Perhaps it will be beamed electronically

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Sarah Duffy

ADVERTISING PRODUCTION/CL;\SSIFIED:

Donna Stone

MAIL-ORDER MARKETING MANAGER: Susan

throughout the entire solar system,

Way

DIRECT SALES MANAGER: Cindy Schlosser

for heaven's sake.

ADVERTISING MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES

The Almanac will be brand new, as each edition has always been.

General and Mail-Order Advertising

On the

& West: Robert Bembach Phone: 91 4-769-005 !• Fax: 914-769-0691 Northeast

other hand, like this changing world of

Midwest:

and like you and me as we Uve out our allotted years, it will be fundamentally the same in all the important ways. ours,

You can count on that,

Tom Rickert

Phone: 612-835-0506 South:

•

Fax: 612-835-0709

Dan Waxman

Phone: 207-871-9376

•

Fax: 207-879-0453

Michigan (General oniy):

Phone: 248-540-0948

too.

•

Ed

Fisher

Fax: 248-540-0905

NEWSSTAND CIRCULATION:

P.S.C.S.

DISTRIBUTION: Curtis Circulation

J.D.H., June 1999

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36

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Joseph B. Meagtier, President: Judson D. Hale Si.,Senior Vice President: Brian Piara.Vice President and Cliief Financial Officer: Jody Bugbee, John Pierce, Joe Timko. and Sherin Wight, Vice Presidents.

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Old Farmer's Almanac

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How to Use This Almanac Anywhere The calendar pages (60-87) are the The Old Farmer's Almanac. They present astronomical heart of

the U.S.A.

in

these pages are unchanged since 1792,

when Robert

data and sky sightings for the entire year

are

what make

Thomas published The long columns of numbers and symbols reveal B.

his first edition.

and

all

this

of Nature's preci-

sion, rhythm,

book a true almanac,

and glory

a "calendar of the

— an astronomical

heavens." In essence,

look

n^WiffTS and are

in

All

times given

in this edition of

Daylight Time (EOT)

calculate times for their

own

is

year 2000.

the Almanac are for Boston, Massachusetts,

Eastern Standard Time (EST), except from 2:00 a.m., April 2,

when Eastern

at the

until

2:00

a.m.,

October 29,

given. Key Letters (A-E) are provided so that readers can

localities.

The following four pages provide detailed explanations.

Seasons of the Year C.

t

1.

V S

I

/

A

Vernal Equinox

I.

Winter

SPRIN**

.-S

Summer

Solstice

ORB'

^uiow^

SUMMER

Solstice

Autumnal Equinox The seasons occur because Earth's axis

is tilted

with respect to

hemispheres take turns reaching their maximum

its orbit of

the Sun. Thus, the

toward the Sun, which occurs at the

The equinoxes mark the intersection of Earth's when the hemispheres equally face the Sun.

solstices.

equator,

tilt

orbit with the plane of

the celestial

The Web site for The Old Farmer's Almanac, www.almanac.com, has complete astronomical information for any location in the United States and Canada, as well as tide predictions for thousands of miles of coastline. Weather forecasts, history, advice, gardening tips, puzzles, and recipes are also available on-line. There's even a "black hole" in the

comer of the home page.

(continued on next page) 2000

Old Farmer's Almanac

39

The Left-Hand Calendar Pages (Pages 60-86)

NOVEMBER, The Eleventh Month

1999

Sntum fpfirhf'x nnnrn Sample Left-Hand Calendar Page

6th. It is

'lOut

(from November 1999, page 60)

now brighter than it has been for two among the skimpy stars ofAries. It now

tgnitude -0.2

the night. Starting at midnight on the night of

__^___^____^______^ 'or shower peaks and could put on an awesome dis-

The Moon stands near Jupiter on the 20th and near Saturn on the 2 1st. Mercury reappears low in the east before dawn on the 25th. Soon after nightfall on the 28th, Mars and Neptune are very close, affording telescope users an unusually good opportunity to

play.

locate the eighth planet.

V D O

Full

d

Las

New Moon First

Quarter

Moon

7th day

22nd hour

53rd minute

16th day

4th hour

3rd minute

23rd day

2nd hour

4th minute

ur

Use these two Key

Letter

columns

to

calculate the sunrise/sunset times for

Boston. Each sunrise/

localities other than

sunset time

sunset times for your locality, following the

given in the Time Correc-

procedure outlined in #1; next, convert the time of sunset to 24-hour clock time by adding

page 234. Simply find your city,

12 hours; then subtract the time of sunrise.

assigned a

is

value in minutes tions tabie on

Key

Boston each day. To determine the length of day for your city, first calculate the sunrise and

is

Letter

whose

EXAMPLE

or the city nearest you, in the table, and add or subtract those minutes to Boston's sunrise

Sunset, Cairo,

or sunset time.

EXAMPLE: 6:17

a.m.,

Des

iVIoines (p.

Sunrise,

Use

the

Des

for

(10

same procedure

hr.,

37

Boston.

CST

to determine the

fime, light

time of sunset.

- 6:21

10:37

min.)

change sundial time a.m.,

1

HThe Sun Fast column

+28 minutes 6:45

4:58

+ 12:00

Length of day, Cairo, Nov. 1

235)

IVIoines

1

Subtract sunrise, Cairo, Nov.

EST

Key Letter D (above) Vaiue of Key Letter D

Nov.

16:58

To find the time of sunrise in Des Moines, Iowa, on November 1, 1999: Sunrise, Boston, with

lliinois,

Convert to 24-iiour cloci< time

A

is

designed to

to clock time in

sundial reads natural, or Sun,

which

is

neither Standard nor

time except by coincidence.

Day-

From

a

sundial reading, simply subtract the min-

HThis column gives the amount of time the

Sun

will be

above the horizon

in

utes given in the

Sun Fast column

to get

Boston clock time, and use Key Letter C

Old Farmer's Almanac

in

2000

234

the Time Corrections table on page vert the time to

your

to con-

city.

EXAMPLE: To change in

sundial time into clock time

Boston, or Butte, Montana, on

ber

1,

Novem-

1999:

Sundial reading, Nov.

1

12:00 noon

40)

-

(Boston or Butte) Subtract Sun Fast

(p.

Use Key Letter C (p.

for

32 minutes

11:28

Clock time, Boston Butte

A.M.,

EST

< 45 minutes

234)

12:13

Clocl< time, Butte

P.M.,

MST

This column gives the degrees and

minutes of the Sun from the celestial equator at noon,

EST or EDT.

HThe High Tide column gives the times of daily high tides in Boston. For ex-

ample, on November

1

,

the first high tide oc-

curs at 5:15 a.m. and the second occurs at

5:30 P.M. (A dash under High Tide indicates that high

water occurs on or after midnight

and so

recorded on the next day.) Figures

is

for calculating high tide times localities other

and heights for

than Boston are given in the

Tide Corrections table on page 240.

QUse these two Key Letter columns to calculate the moonrise/moonset times for localities other than Boston.

(A dash inon or

dicates that moonrise/moonset occurs after

midnight and so

Use

is

recorded on the next

same procedure

as explained #1 for calculating your moonrise/moonset time, then factor in an additional correc-

day.)

the

in

based on longitude (see table below). For the longitude of your city, see page 234. tion

Longitude of city 58° -

76°

IT-

89°

Correction minutes

Tlie

Eight-Hand Calendar Pages (Pages 61-87)

Throughout the Right-Hand Calendar Pages are groups of symbols that represent notable celestial events. The symbols and names of the principal planets and aspects are:

Sun

Weather prediction rhyme.

Sample Right-Hand Calendar Page (from November 1999. page 61)

(For detailed regional

forecasts, see pages 134-155.)

Tonight the winds began to rise And roar from yonder dropping The last red leaf is whirled away. The rooks are blown about the skies. - ^ed. Lord Tennyson i

Day of the month.Day of the week.

Weather

Dates, Feasts, Fasts,

Conjunction of Venus and the Moon.

Aspects, Tide Heights First

The Moon is on the celestial equator.

medical school for

women

Warm

• • opened. Boston, 1848 Election Daniel Boone ( 9.6 „„„.,„i. enOUgfl • Day • bom. 1734 • I 10.0 Detroit-Windsor auto I 9.8 ^., \l C^ rr •Tides| for O ^i • tunnel opened. 1930 99 All Saints ,,

,

Souls

The bold Dominical

letter in this

column

is

the

V

Embassy

Sunday. For because the first Sunday,

astical designation for

1999

it

was

of the year uary.

The

C

fell

on the

letter for

'r?

2000, a leap year,

Vi T

Eq.

•?

at

B through February, then it reverts to A.

•

of

y

Leo the Great •

St.

in a.d. 440.

By

hinui " OlOM

9.5 1 10.3 f

bom,i483

d

/T-

J

runs

d low

• C5

.

Sadie Hawkins

.^ rr O d

• Day

/ 8.8

•

I

9.6

dSG

©

^

by invading Huns. (Certain religious feasts and civil holidays appear in sacre

I

.1

.1

St.

Hugh

•

JL HlMa ^J-ftlm. Steamboat

tide

First life insurance policv issued to a woman. 185(5

Boston

is 9.

1

is

• Hoagie Camuchael bom, 1899

feet.

of

dbG

Billie

I

_,.

•

'

I

.

'"^^

•Ti'tes

Jean King

bom, 1943

snow.

•

1928 I

f

the

92

in his first

Kenesaw Mountain Landis • • bom. 1866

8.6 feet;

more complete explanation

For a

Willie.

I

•

•SeiJ^tyfounded, 1875

yikkefMouni appeared

d'\fr7 4 Vi

second high

AmerisarTllieosophical

.

of Lincoln

,,.,

this typeface.)

at

Winter

soon enough

• • ininf.d • o^r'" The fuiure jo\ makes the past 18.6 j. • '^'^*19.I • and the present bearable.

interceding

,

high tide

,.„„-^^

•

Stores,

with Attila, he prevented the city's mas-

First

.

Gather

Tides ' in It Martin* VeteramDay apo. {,o;i >fFL record: Detroit Lions Elizabeth Cady Stanton ,1 inOSe • bom, 1815 fumbled 1 1 times, 1967

Leo the Great was elected Bishop

Rome

and then

—

1

appear in this typeface.) St.

now

10.5

New#

Martin Luther

24th Sunday after Pentecost. (Sun-

chores,

• Tides { '^j The Louvre opened to public Boimie Rain for fu^t time, 1793 bom. 1949 Make the little decisions with your liead 0.4 f • I and the big decisions with your heart.

is

days and special holy days generally

outdoor

in

K V

"1

O O •24rt) ^. at i.

day of Jan-

third

Will Rogers Teheran, 1979 • bom. 1879 IdaTarbell I 10.2 • • bom, 1857 •I 9.9 • Stat. Paderewski 13 inches of snow. • St. Louis, Mo., 1951 • bom. 1860

Iranian militants seized U.S.

Letter, a traditional ecclesi-

9.8 9.8 10.5

Stuff the

I

loj

{

turkey,

11.8 10.9

say

terms used throughout the Almanac, see Glossary, page 46.

Predicting Eartliquakes Note the dates, in the Right-Hand Calendar

when the Moon (C) rides high or runs The date of the high begins the most

indicates a similar five-day period in the

Southern Hemisphere. Also noted twice

Pages,

each month are the days when the

low.

on the

celestial equator

(d on

Moon

is

Eq.), indicat-

likely five-day period of earthquakes in the

ing likely two-day earthquake periods in

Northern Hemisphere; the date of the low

both hemispheres.

More Astronomical Data Bright Stars

2000 page 54

Eclipses

page 52

Full-Moon Dates 2000-2004

page 52

Principal

Meteor Showers

The Twilight Zone The

page 52 page 239

Visible Planets (Venus, Mars, Jupiter,

Saturn, and Mercury)

2000

for

Old Farmer's Almanac

page 50

43

Holidays and Observances, 2000 A selected

Jan. Jan.

list

of

commemorative days,

1 New Year's Day* 17 Martin Luther King

July Jr.'s

Birthday (obsen'ed)*

2 Groundhog Day; Guadalupe-

Feb.

Hidalgo Treaty Day (N.Mex.) Feb. 12

Abraham

Lincoln's Birthday

Feb. 14 Valentine's

Day

Feb. 15 Susan B. Anthony's Birthday (Fla.,Wis.)

Feb. 21 Presidents

Day*

Feb. 22 George Washington's Birthday

2 Texas Independence Day 7 Town Meeting Day (Vt.): Mardi Gras (Baldwin & Mobile

Mar. Mar.

Counties, Ala.; La.)

Mar. 15 Andrew Jackson Day (Tenn.) Mar. 17 St. Patrick's Day; Evacuation

Day

(Suffolk Co., Mass.)

2 Pascua Florida Day

Apr.

13 Thomas Jefferson's Birthday 17 Patriots Day (Maine, Mass.) Apr. 28 National Arbor Day May 1 May Day May 8 Truman Day (Mo.) May 14 Mother's Day May 20 Armed Forces Day May 22 Victoria Day (Canada) May 29 Memorial Day (observed)* June 1 Statehood Day (Tenn.) June 5 World Environment Day June 11 King Kamehameha I Day (Hanmi) June 14 Flag Day June 17 Bunker Hill Day (Suffolk Co.. Mass.) June 18 Father's Day June 19 Emancipation Day (Te.\.) June 20 West Virginia Day July 1 Canada Day July 4 Independence Day* Apr. Apr.

We

derive

24 Pioneer Day

(Utah)

Aug. 7 Colorado Day Aug. 14 Victory Day (R.l.) Aug. 16 Bennington Battle Day (Vr.) Aug. 26 Women's Equality Day Sept. 4 Labor Day* Sept. 9 Admission Day (Calif.) Oct. 9 Leif Eriksson Day; Columbus Day (obsen'ed)*; Thanksgiving Day (Canada); Native Americans

Day (S.Dak.) 18 Alaska Day Oct. 31 Halloween; Nevada Day Nov. 4 Will Rogers Day (Okla.) Nov. 7 Election Day Nov. 11 Veterans Day* Nov. 19 Discovery Day (Puerto Rico) Nov. 23 Thanksgiving Day* Nov. 24 Acadian Day (La.) Dec. 10 Wyoming Day Dec. 25 Christmas Day* Dec. 26 Boxing Day (Canada) Oct.

Religious Observances

from a secret formula devised by the founder of this Almanac

in 1792, en-

hanced by the most

modem

scientific calculations

based

on solar activity and current

6

Epiphany

Jan.

Ash Wednesday

Mar. 8

Islamic

New Year

First

...Apr.

day of Passover

Good Friday Easter Day

..

Orthodox Easter Whitsunday-Pentecost

Rosh Hashanah

First

day of Ramadan day of Chanukah

Christmas

.

.

Yom Kippur First

6 16 ...Apr. 20 ...Apr. 21 Apr. 23 ...Apr. 30 June 11 Sept. 30 Oct. 9 ..Nov. 27 Dec. 22 Dec. 25 Apr.

Palm Sunday

Day

..

How the Almanac Weather Forecasts Are Made our weather meteorological data. We bepossible. However,

forecasts

44

with federal holidays denoted by *.

lieve that nothing in the uni-

verse occurs haphazardly is a cause-andeffect pattern to all phenomena, thus making longrange weather forecasts but that there

Old Farmer's Almanac

neither

we

nor anyone else has as yet gained sufficient insight into the mysteries of the universe to predict weather with anything resembling total

accuracy.

2000

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Old Farmer's Almanac

45

Glossary Aphelion (Aph.): The point in a planet's orbit that

is

farthest

from the Sun.

Apogee (Apo.): The point in the Moon's orbit that

is

farthest

Celestial Sphere:

from Earth.

An imaginary sphere

projected into space that represents the entire sky, with an observer its

on Earth

at

center. All celestial bodies other than

Earth are imagined as being on

its

inside

Conjunction: When two celestial bodies reach the same celestial longitude or right ascension, approximately corresponding

approach in the sky. (Dates for conjunction are given in the Right-Hand Calendar Pages 61-87; sky sightings of closely aligned bodies to their closest apparent

are given in the descriptive text at the top

of the Left-Hand Calendar Pages 60-86). Inf. - Inferior: A conjunction in which Mercury or Venus is between the Sun and Earth. Sup. - Superior: conjunction in which the

A

is

between a planet and Earth.

Dominical Letten Used to denote the Sunin the ecclesiastical calendar in

year, determined first

a given

by the date on which the

Sunday of that year falls.

Sunday, the

If Jan.

1

is

a

A; if Jan. 2 is a SunB; and so on to G. hi a leap apphes through February

letter is

day, the letter is year, the letter

and then takes the preceding

Eclipse, Lunar: The

full

letter.

Moon

plane of the ecliptic

is

tipped 23.5° from

the celestial equator.

Elongation: The difference in degrees between the celestial longitudes of a planet and the Sun. Greatest Elongation (Gr. Elong.): The greatest apparent distance of a planet from the Sun, as seen from Earth. Epact:

A number from

cates the

1

to

30

Moon's age on Jan.

1

that indiat

Green-

wich, England; used for determining the date of Easter.

shadow of Earth, which cuts off all or part of the Moon's light. Total: The

Moon

passes completely through the (central dark part) of Earth's shadow. Partial: Only part of the Moon passes through the umbra. Penumbral: The Moon passes through only the penumbra (area of partial darkness surrounding the umbra).

umbra

Eclipse, Solar: Earth enters the shadow of the new Moon, which cuts off all or

circle

halfway between the celestial poles. It can be thought of as the plane of Earth's equator projected out onto the sphere. around the celestial sphere

that is

Equinox, Autumnal: The Sun appears to cross the celestial equator from north to south. Vernal: The Sun appears to cross the celestial equator from south to north.

Evening Star:

A planet that is above the

western horizon at sunset and less than 180° east of the Sun in right ascension.

GoMen Number A number in the 19-year cycle of the

enters

the

46

The apparent annual path of Sun around the celestial sphere. The

Ecliptic:

Equator, Celestial (Eq.): The

Declination: The celestial latitude of an object in the sky, measured in degrees north or south of the celestial equator; analogous to latitude on Earth. The Almanac gives the Sun's declination at noon EST or EDT. days

through the umbra (central dark part) of the Moon's shadow, resulting in totality for observers within a narrow band on Earth. Annular: The Moon appears silhouetted against the Sun, with a ring of sunlight showing around it. Partial: The Moon blocks only part of the Sun. the

surface.

Sun

part of the Sun's Hght. Total: Earth passes

Moon, used

the date of Easter. (The

for determining

Moon repeats

its

phases approximately every 19 solar years.) Add 1 to any given year and divide the result by 19; the remainder is the Golden Number. When there is no remainder, the Golden Number is 19. Julian Period: A period of 7,980 years beginning Jan. 1, 4713 B.C. Devised in 1583 by Joseph Scaliger, it provides a chronological basis for the study of ancient history.

to

To find the Julian year, add 4,7 13

any year.

Old Farmer's Almanac

(continued on page 48)

2000

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Old Farmer's Almanac

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47

Glossary

(continued)

Moon on

Equator: The Moon

on the

is

Moon Rides High/Runs Low:

The

Moon is highest above or farthest below the celestial equator.

above or descending below the horizon.

Moon's Phases: The continually changMoon's appearance,

caused by the different angles it is

The

illuminated by the Sun. right half of the

which

at

First Quarter:

Moon

illumi-

is

nated, as seen from the Northern sphere.

Full:

Hemi-

The Sun and the Moon are in

opposition; the entire disk of the is

Moon

illuminated as viewed from Earth. Last

Quarter:

The

left

half of the

Moon is

illu-

minated, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. New: The Sun and the Moon are in conjunction; the entire disk of the

Moon is darkened as viewed from Earth. Moon's Place, Astronomical: The actual position of the Moon within the constellations

on the

celestial sphere.

As-

trological: The position of the Moon within the astrological zodiac according to calculations made over 2,000 years ago. Because of precession of the equinoxes and other factors, this is not the

Moon's

actual position in the sky.

Morning Star: A planet that is above the eastern horizon at sunrise £ind less than

180° west of the Sun in right ascension.

Node, Ascending/Descending: Either of the two points where a body's orbit intersects the ecliptic.

The body

is

moving

from south to north of the ecliptic at the ascending node, and from north to south at the descending node. (An imaginary line through Earth that connects the Moon's nodes also aligns with an Earth-Sun line just twice a year, roughly six months apart; at these times, a new or full Moon that occurs when the Moon is at or near one of its nodes will result in an echpse.)

Occultation (Occn.): The eclipse of a star or planet by the Moon or another planet.

Opposition: The Moon or a planet appears on the opposite side of the sky from the

48

Sun (elongation

orbit that

point in the

closest to Earth.

is

Perihelion (Perih.): The point planet's orbit that

is

180°).

tion of the stars

and equinoxes

from variations

resulting

in a

closest to the Sun.

Precession: The slowly changing

Moonrise/Moonset: The Moon's rising

ing states in the

Perigee (Perig.): The Moon's

celestial equator.

posi-

in the

sky

in the orienta-

tion of Earth's axis.

Right Ascension (R.A.): The

celestial

longitude of an object in the sky, mea-

sured eastward along the celestial equator in hours of time

from the vernal

equinox; analogous to longitude on Earth.

Roman Indiction: A number in a 15-year cycle, established Jan.

Add

cal term.

a.d. 313, as a fis-

1,

3 to any given year in the

Christian era and divide

by

15; the

remain-

Roman Indiction. When there is no remainder, the Roman Indiction is 15.

der

is

the

A period of 28 years in the

Solar Cycle:

Julian calendar, at the end of

which the

days of the month return to the same days of the week.

Solstice,

Summer: The Sun reaches its

greatest declination (23.5°) north of the

celestial equator.

reaches

its

Winter: The Sun

greatest declination (23.5°)

south of the celestial equator.

Stationary (Stat.): The apparent halted movement, as it reaches opposition, of a planet against the background of the stars, shortly

before

it

appears to

move

backward (retrograde motion).

Sun Fast/Slow: The difference between a sundial reading and clock time.

Sunrise/Sunset: The

visible rising and upper limb across the unobstructed horizon of an observer whose eyes are 15 feet above ground level. setting of the Sun's

Twilight: The period of time between darkness (when the Sun

is 1

full

8° below the

horizon) and either sunrise or sunset.

Twilight

is

classified as astronomical,

is between 18° and 12° below the horizon; nautical, when the Sun is between 12° and 6° below the horizon; and civil, when the Sun is less than 6° below the horizon.

when

the

Sun

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2000

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Old Farmer's Almanac

49

The

Visible Planets, 2000

Listed here for Boston are the times

(EST/EDT) of the visible rising and ting of the planets

Venus, Mars,

and Saturn on the

set-

Jupiter,

days can be found by interpolation. The capital letters that appear beside the times

are

Key

Letters

and are used

to convert

and 21st of

the times to other localities (see pages 40

each month. The approximate times of

and 234). For definitions of morning and

1st, 1 1th,

their visible rising

Venus

and

never achieves

setting

its

maximum

liance at any time in 2000, being at the year during the first

predawn eastern

summer it

lost

sky.

month

its

bril-

best for

in the frosty

spends spring and early

behind the Sun's glare. Although

emerges during

star

It

on other

late

summer

very low in the west

come eye-catching

until

at

as an evening

dusk,

it

doesn't be-

autumn, when

it

grad-

where it Venus is in conjunction with Mercury on March 14 and April 28.

evening

Mars

stars,

see the Glossary on page 46.

experiences an "off" year

maining on the

far side of the

in

Sun

2000, re-

for the en-

tire year. It offers striking

meetings, however,

with Jupiter and Saturn

at nightfall in late

March and up

early April,

when

in the west. After that,

it

the trio

slips

is

nicely

behind the Sun

and remains a dim curiosity only for those ing to gaze eastward in the

will-

predawn hours.

ually gains altitude in the southwest,

Mars

stays until year's end.

with Saturn on April 16, and with Mercury on

May

is

in

conjunction with Jupiter on April

19 and August 10.

6,

Mercury,

on the

distant side of

its

orbit

from

us,

achieves "minus" magnitudes that would

make it eye-catching were it not for its eternal proximity to the Sun and closeness to the horizon. The year offers two opportunities when it is maximally high above the horizon. The first comes from June to 10, when Mercury sits above the western horizon in evening twilight. As a morning star in the east just before dawn, it can be glimpsed easily by insomniacs from November 7 to 21 1

DO NOT CONFUSE 1)

Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn as they hover near each other during the last

half of April. Jupiter Is

the brightest and Mars the dimmest of the

twilight

on August 10 and 11. Mercury

star, very

est star,

Is

brighter than

near each other from September

Mars and

week of March and first

2) Mercury with Mars, low

less orange. 3)

in

eastern predawn

Mars with Regulus, Leo's brightest

16 to 18. Mars Is orange, Regulus blue. 4) Mars with Spica, to 18. Again, Mars Is orange, Spica blue.

somewhat near each other from December 12

^^^^

trio.

-.rfS^

Virgo's bright-

EcHpses, 2000 There will be six eclipses

in

eclipses of February 5 and July

(A

partial solar eclipse requires

El

Total eclipse of the

2000, four of the Sun and two of the Moon. The solar 1

will not be visible in the

Moon, January 20-21.

The beginning of the umbral phase will be visible throughout North America. The end will

be visible in North America and Hawaii. enters penumbra on January 20

The Moon at

9:03 P.M.,

begins

at

1

EST

(6:03 P.M., PST); totality

1:05 p.m.,

EST

(8:05 p.m., PST),

and ends on the 21st at 12:22 a.m., EST (9:22 p.m., PST, on the 20th); the Moon leaves penumbra on the 21st at 2:24 a.m., EST (1 1 :24 p.m., PST, on the 20th). Moon, July 16. Only umbral phase wUl be visible in the western United States and Hawaii, southern Alaska, and western Canada. The end will be visible only in Hawaii. The umbral phase begins at 4:57 a.m., PDT, and ends at 8:54 a.m., PDT. Total eclipse of the

the beginning of the

El

Partial eclipse of

the Sun, July 30. This

eclipse will be visible in western North

America. Throughout the western United States, the eclipse will

begin in the

late after-

noon, hi Alaska, the eclipse will begin about

6:00

P.M.,

ADT, and

last

United States or Canada.

eye protection to be safely viewed.)

about 90 minutes.

El

Partial eclipse of the Sun,

December 25.

This eclipse will be visible throughout

all of North America except Alaska, hi the East, the eclipse will begin shortly after 1 1 :(K) A.M., EST, and end shortly after 2:00 p.m.,

EST.

In the central region,

it

will begin about

9:30 a.m., CST, and end about noon, CST. it will begin around 8:00 PST, and end around 9:00 a.m., PST.

In the West,

a.m.,

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2000

Old Farmer's Almanac

.Zip.

(516) 741-0346

Bright Stars, 9000 The upper table shows the time (EST or

EDT)

each

differs

from that of the nearest date

listed

by

meridian

approximately four minutes for each day.

hes directly above the horizon's south

To find the time of the star's transit for a lo-

point) at Boston, and the star's altitude

cation other than Boston, convert the time

(i.e.,

above

that

star transits the

that point at transit

on the dates

shown. The time of transit on any other date

at

Boston using Key Letter

tion.

Time of Transit (EST/EDT) Boldface Star

Altair

Constellation

IVlagnitude

Jan.

1

IVIar.

1

C for that loca-

(See footnote.)

IVIayl

Julyl

p.m. Lightface

Sept.

1

- a.m.

A|tjti,(ie

Nov. 1 (degrees)

05

o)o

oi^ ©"Si^ 55

c

50

n 1(0

5i;

c O^ J" p :^ O N o E o :^ E 8 a> g ^O E « '^ "* «« W 05 03 >>C ^F: O i i .. nJ| ^ fe O w -o w .9 o c JJ 0) W ^ CD 0> ? a m c « "o -9J ™ c E 5- o ^. S o .s _ c >S.o 0) m p o $ o o 'Z. c °_(B o^ o oO—o B J3o Q) £?to *-2 S03 >E CD ~ ^ Q> » — — >>.E „, »- >»^ .^ c o — * ===»5^ « — -T ,*

OJ

ov>Z

5 o «

^. in Libert

M.

St.

G eS-dWd

W.

dSC* storm,

The "Mona Lisa," missing for 2 years, was Lucy • recovered and returned to the Louvre, 1913 • Halcyon Days

Tu. dcf§

Nostradamus bom, 1503

• Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Ga., 1939 Day From error to error, one .j... t 9.2 discovers Ihe entire truth. * '"'^^19.2 •

Fr.

V^Eq. 'Day

^7 on

C

21 Tu.

W. Th.

•

William Lyon Mackenzie • • King bom, 1874 Divorce became legal Ember • • in Italy, 1970 Day

4t»i^.m^t)cnt

Even Santa

Ember

Sa.

i

Oy

golly!

9.4

Th.

20 M. 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

—

-dcrd

loses

focus

6h(L

in • '^''^^^ I 9^9 • Sacagawea /11.3 Bus boycott ended, preMontgomery, Ala., 1956 • died, 1812 • 1 10.2 • Beware the cm. '\f millennial 14 stat. • Pogonlp. St. 1 nomas • Full Winter x-? at ^-n j Solstice • vL perig. • Long Nights kJ * I Joj hocus prides Bell Labs announced the invention ,,^^,,0

^^ high • of the

transistor,

pOCUS

•

1947

Howard Hughes • bom, 1809 • bom, 1905 Kit Carson

fl2.4

—

Snow

Fr.

dat^

Sa.

CljnSftnUlS

C

l^t^.af.CI)..&dar.™es{l?:i

M.

century • bom, 1901 • St. William Semple patented _ , • lo:2 ends: Holy Innocents • chewing gum, 1869 Massacre at Wounded „. / 9.8 fY on vlEq.» Knee, S.D., 1890 •1"1^M9.6 • Ready! First color TV sets Simon Guggenheim f 9.6 Set! • bom, 1867 • I 9.1 on sale, 1953 Fill your life with experiences, f 9.5

Tu.

W. Th.

31 Fr.

...

,^t

cii

1

L

John •

.

«—

®aj>

Ci iu L St. Stephen

Peace on Earth, • Coodwill to men

I

descends as the

Marlene Dietrich

,

,

not excuses.

*

I

8.8

•

be affected

ground, so to speak.

This principle, no more than com-

Sa.

W.

life will

by the course of events you're inquiring about; find someone on the

mon sense, is part of the reason peo-

^ W

,

whose own

of

Home Journal

11

8

9 Th. 10 Fr.

„ St.

Skip the experts and find a wit-

ness

hours

Pead Harbor flO,3 ^^i;„ . • attacked, 1941 • I 9.2 jOHy Ambrose • New Gorbachev signed f 10.3 at Reagan and fjGet • I 9.2 Vj. apo. • the INF treaty. 1987 flO.2 If December be changeable and mild. ^ ready * • ihe whole winter will remain a child. 1 9,1 Cruns First Nobel Prizes Alfred Nobel for • died, 1896 low • awarded, 1901 10.1 King Edward VIII « abdicated, 1936 10.0 • at

7 Tu.

fice.

Oh-oh-oh!

ple

hang stubbornly onto folk weather age in which that

lore in a scientific

lore ought to be obsolete. Most of us, no doubt, get our weather forecasts that is, from from TV and radio broadcasters who pass on the conclusions of meteorologists. We have

—

confidence in these scientific forecasts for the best possible reason:

have found them

to

We

be generally ac-

curate. Nevertheless, the prescientific

indicators of weather

—

the acoms,

groundhogs, woolly bear caterpillars,

— are not forgotten.

and so on Though they

survive mainly as hu-

mor, they do survive.

Why don't we let the old weather signs go, at

last,

and put

our faith

all

meteorology? Because meteorology

in

isn't

on the ground. Those

likable,

people on the TV, even the scientists

whose findings they report, aren't concemed with the weather the way a deer mouse, say, it

wrong, they

in

is.

If the

former get

may have to find a job

Sioux FaUs. But for them,

that's the

worst thing that happens. The deer

mouse has a different stake. If he underestimates the winter to come and fails to

Old Farmer's Almanac

provide in his nest, he starves.

63

2000

JANUAEY, The First Month

|

—

liath 31 JANUARY — «^=—

January is here, With eyes that keenly glow A frost-mailed warrior striding A shadowy steed of snow. - Edgar Fawcett .

.

5

W.

6 Th. 7 Fr. 8 Sa.

9 10

B M.

11 Tu.

12 W. 13 Th. 14 Fr. 15 Sa. 16 B 17 M. 18 Tu. 19 W.

20 Th. 21

Fr.

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Sa.

31

Gat^'d^G

St. Distaff's Day. Elvis Presley f

d^ O

^

behind

9.0 10.2

'bom, 1935

Y2K.

Ten the

snow

one

is

is an accident, • an achievement.

W. Caraway bHattie • woman elected

(D., Ark.)

squeaking;

n

...1

/y on

St.

Hilary •

Ci

d-^ffji+ Vi. •

.j..

9.9

I

became

Hubert H. Humphrey

f

•

- Tides {

in

{

.

-

Viy pel peng. .

St.

n St.

.

.

rr

,

r^ CJ r\

-32° F, HainesvUle,

• Vl atd6 •

Agnes

™es {

but • l^^ rr f? "des • Eclipse U. • Vl high •

bom,?83r^

Full „ Fabian • Wolf

New

jersey, 1994

112.0 Queen Victoria _., • Vincent • died, 1901 20th Amendment Orh ^S. »f /Iff*. ,„

™es|

St.

_

risk

hardly f I

ii.9 10.3

.

St.

,.,.

ri,.

Thomas Apinas •

torrid;

•

look up

Queen

G

^^6^""" • b",?!:

LiliuoRalani ascended to

Sa.

Hawaiian throne, 1891

B

4* ^. at Cp.

Thomas

chattering Paine

• bom, 1737 • OrviUe Wright f 9.2

• died, 1948 at First McDonald's in f-7V\ apo. • Soviet Union opened, 1990

8.2

f

I

9.3 8.4

the shovel, 10 or 12

IS

record-

shattering.

snow its

set to

work. The shoveling, I dis-

covered, was both harder and easier

than more-timely shoveling would It was harder because the snow was heavy. It was easier because the snow was compact. Rather

have been.

than

move a shovelful of loose,

light

snow, half of which would pour off the shovel and back into my way, I

lift

thrust the shovel

under and

out a neat block of snow, an ele-

phant's sugar cube. I'd set

beside the path, dig again, another block, set

mining.

Somehow,

to lighten

down,

it

This isn't shoveling,

,

.

got to

I

weight.

would

•

synonyms at Cp. • ratified, 1933 First canned beer sold, /"S l?i . for Kl) • Richmond, Virginia, 1935 Hudson River frozen , „ "horrid." Conversion 01 Paul • solid, 1821 Wayne Gretzky n /T^ on The Eq. • borh, i96i Sts. Timothy & Titus • ' Love, love, love, that is f 9.8 Mozart leein-Mozart* \I 9.3 bom, 1756 • the soul of genius. -Mozan* r,

own I

to

Benjamin Franklin

1

.

the time

well packed by the wind and by

Milder

'"i

By

too

T tr. . n. J • Martin Luther Kin| Jr. s Birthday • bom, 1 706 Daniel Webster fll.l ^_,,, White bear from CSeenland •! 9.7 "ia Nations riougn Plough /y \L * Monday • formed, 1920

M.

M.

G

•

• o '^ • \ 10 ^. at cp. 3..dSG.{'°

l^

dTTT W

Fr.

shoveling becomes a different kind of

f

work and partly play.

Partly

Musi ye on

Z^^ S>.

Th.

#

Day

B W.

New

St. Distaff's

-

Tu.

•

and be-

can't al-

ahead of you by hours or days. Then

Isaac for

• so always save some for tomorrow

Cptptjanp

settle

You

2day

{

9.8 Brooklyn Bridge, 1870 • I 8.7 • \±) perihelion Louis Braille /Y 31 • St. Elizabeth Seton • vi apo. • bom, 1809 Work is the greatest thing in the world. Twelfth

Night

heavy.

Asimov bom, 1920

2'*

4 Tu.

has had time to

ways do your shoveling promptly, however; sometimes the snow gets

B M.

it

come hard and White

2

d9G

of

lot

9.6 7 •

New Year's Day • CircumcuSion • T'des Ground broken

before

i

Sa.

•

Everybody who shovels a

snow knows you must get to work when the snow is still new-fallen and

Weather

1

^. at Cf).

20()()

Farmer's Calendar

—

.

Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, Tide Heights

3

days.

I

it

down

lift

dig.

out .

thought, this

that idea

.

.

is

seemed

my shovel. In the end, I did

a bigger and a better job than I would have under normal circumstances.

This kind of endless job like snow shoveling

is

tricky work:

you attend to the

make

Old Farmer's Almanac

it,

The

closer

task, the harder

the easier

you

it is.

65

2000

FEBRUARY, The Second Month

FEBllUAKY ^

hath 29 days.

^

Poor ro/>/>2 redbreast. Look where he comes; Let him in to feel your fire. And toss him of your crumbs. -ChrinmaG. Rossetti

1

2000

2000

MAKCH, Tlie ThM Month

Would you

think it? Spring has come. Winter's paid his passage home; gone Packed his ice-box halfway To the Arctic Pole, they say. - Christopher Cranch

—

Fanner's Caleiidm*

—

The New England town meeting, held in early March,

form. Here the

Weather

Dates, Feasts, Fasts,

whose

Aspects, Tide Heights

supposed

is

exemplify Democracy

to

in its purest

men and women

by the meet to deown government and to

lives are daily affected

policies of the township 1

w.

2 Th. 3 F.

4 Sa. 5

A

6 M. 7 Tu. 8

9 10

d ™w • 9 m d • \%.2 • G at^ -dWC 'Tides {|j d9S-dS(I«d9(I«™esni Sl.

David •

St.

Chad

Sl.Perpetua • Shrove Tuesday •

{ 10.5

f

Sa.

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

A

l^ ^.

A

20 M. 21 Tu.

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

dTV vL

W. Th. Fr.

Great Blizzard

in ILsnt •

X V

Pure •

Sa.

M. Tu.

I

acts

who

cials

up or down by direct baltown offi-

are themselves subject to

election at the

same momentous

as-

Monday

oFms Sir

stat. Stat,

rides

^t-

>-7-

q 06

_., f 10.5 • Tides "'^^ i\ 9.4 '

Snow this

^ Tides f

10.3

f

,

I

the

1

late

9.0

10.3

can't

• Ides of March. 9.1 I _. First U.S. black newspaper • "d^s • founded, 1827 stat. Over 18 inches snow, Ember _ ,. „ • Day • Memphis, Tenn.,l 892 • St. Patnek Ember Work with the rising Sun, _.. / 10.9

Day

• vL

at

.

Day

•

rest with the setting Sun.

2^ B>. in Hent

• Sunday

of

V4

Orthodoxy •

yOU ^7

worm

G

last.

•

i

tninK

•''des^ioj

O

•

(reaching

Joseph • Equ"nix • E^ • { 10.8 • "Alvin s Harmonica." by The Chipmunks. was among the musical chart toppers. 1959 • St.

to

sink.

William Herschel at

f

I

10.9

—

for

Andrew Lloyd Webber f 10. • bom, 1948 panted. 1960 •110.6 " Patrick Henry delivered his famous f 10.6 „^^^ gOOa "liberty" speech. Richmond, Va., 1775 • I 10.1 • A good laugh and a long sleep are ^ Tiri«.des Ameriso Vespucci 'Tides Th. 6%(L bom. woman Fr.

Maple

inf.

•

all,

Spectators of

have the best of

come

Democracy may after all. They

it,

to these parts

from across the

land to drink coffee, eat doughnuts,

and see a

govern them-

free people

selves, a business that

fun to watch than

Old Farmer's Almanac

it is

may

be more

to do.

69

2000

APRIL, Tlie

Foui-th

Month

APRIL hath

80 days.

The wild and windy March once more

Farmer's Calendar

Has shut his gates of sleet, And given us back the April time. So fickle and so sweet. - Alice Cary Dates, Feasts, Fasts,

Weather

Aspects, Tide Heights

i

Lx)nChaney II jL in LI Hugh of Grenoble • FooIs • bom, i883 • All

1

Sa.

o^ St.

2

A

4^ ^.

3

M.

St.

Richard of Chichester •

/T-

on

(i

Eq.

4 Tu. 5

W.

6 Th. 7 Fr. 8 Sa. 9 A 10 M. 11 Tu. 12 W. 13 Th. 14 Fr. 15 Sa. 16 A 17 M. 18 Tu. 19 W. 20 Th. 21 Fr.

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Sa.

A M. Tu.

W. Th.

inlUnt

^^

Sa.

A

d9C

•

*

oh my!

loi

I

MayaAngelou

New#

f

10.5

Aa

—

„i„.

SKy • \ • • bom, 1928 Pocahontas married Pop Warner ~,.. / 10.7 ,i,„,'„ tnat S • bom, 1871 •'"'^MIO.7 John Rolfe, 1614 •

dcfd-d^UG-dbG A rainbow in spring indicates fair • weather for twenty-four hours.

Gat

f

perig. peng.

Tr.^-* VJXa. • Walter Hunt patented first safety pin pin, 1849 • rti\ lO^

m '

O'y S>.

/ 11.3

_i,„,

Work is not the curse. • tut drudgery is. Joseph Pulitzer _. .

sure, f

10.9

•udesj 95

bom, 1847

but

95° F, Sacramento, /y rides that's • vi high • Califomia, 1988 Highest velocity natural wind ever recorded, „ _ ^^^„^^ reaSOTl 231 mph. Mount Washington, N.H., 1934 Thomas Jefferson First major-league baseball flO.l ,_ • strike ended, 1972 • I 9.3 tO bom, 1743 Noah Webster published first f 10.1 j / ueplOre • 9.7* American English dictionary, 1828 I In le\ying tcLxes and in shearing sheep, it is f 10.3

^O

•

to the skin.

•

1 10.1

$alm ^unbap •dcS^^ Tides { loj Bay of Pigs

Con Eq. •

_..

invasion

f

10.5

thiv t"lS

floral

„„„„^„

• Tides | 10.7 • SeOSOK 96 Full ^-N > Canadian Constitution Act d Egg Kj • signed by Queen Elizabeth n, 1982" K^ain S Branch Davidian Explosion on the / 10.8 , 'lOl compound bumed, 1993 • USS Iowa. 1989 • I 10.3 Wisconsin Territory ^^»,^ aone, • • First day of Passover established, 1836 launched,

1

#OOlJjfnbaj' • Rome,'7f3°B.c. •Tidesj'gj First Earth Day Oklahoma Land _., [10.4 • Tides | 94 observed, 1970 • Rush, 1889

Still,

„^„„ none

€aAttX Cruns

freeziu'

• hng.^clfdspring. • { '"io • /T' 2t vi. apo.

Robert

•

IS

B.Thomas _ _

break a • bom, 1766 Hubble Space Telescope f 9.4 /V sweat • I 8.4 • • deployed, 1990 Vl at Frederick Law Olmsted _,., /7 / 9.1 dttt •Tides|8 •ij^ (i« bom, 1822 3 Coretta Scott King Samuel Morse f7 ^ rr get • bom, 1791 • vi©^i« bom, 1927 low

•

00

O

and

good dXV Q V * a few

Duke

Ellington

bom, 1899

l^ ^. at

practice to leave things unsaid. Riots erupted in

Los Angeles, 1992

is

'

.

8.9 8.6 9.1

9.0

your

peas

(EaSltCr • orthodox Easter • Tides {

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. - Alh^rt Einstein

who know its story, for the tree

a kind of widow. is

a small tree whose

delicate flowers look a

,_„„ SnOWerS,

• \1 10.3 •

when you get down

those

Shadbush

„/^^ ^ly, pieuSlTl

.3

Cat^

well to stop

Before other trees have even begun to properly put on their leaves, the shadbush blooms in the woods and along rivers and streams. Its sparse, dainty flower clusters, which hang like scraps of lace from the bare branches, are one of the earliest signs of spring in the North, and so they Uft the heart. There is a sadness about the shadbush bloom, however, to

-dcfl^' 1 1

I 10.6

Mississippi's poll tax

" • outlawed, 1966

It is

Fr.

Now,

• TlmeLgins!!'"^ A.M.

2()()()

in!

little

like

cherry blossoms, only thinner and less abundant.

So early does this tree

bring forth

blossoms that the

its

first

appearance around the time the shad began to run. Shad are a foot-long silvery fish that look like a herring and Uve like a settlers noticed their

salmon, leaving the sea each spring to

swim up rivers to reproduce. They were an essential item of food to the New England colonists and their successors, for whom the shad run might mean deliverance from starvation at the end of a long winter. Hence their

name

for the pretty little tree whose bloom coincided with the shad's an-

nual return.

Now, of course, the dammed and otherwise

rivers are

developed

and can hardly be negotiated by seagoing fish. The shad are gone, or pretty much so. The shadbush, however, remains along riverbanks, where it goes on flowering every spring to welcome a retum that won't take place. The tree and the fish, like sundered lovers in an old

tale,

con-

tinue in their devotion though they are divided.

Old Farmer's Almanac

71

2000

MAY, The Fifth Month

Eveiy naked-eye planet now lies behind the Sun in an invisible grouping confined within a mere 26-degree diameter. (On the night of the 3rd-4th, even the new Moon invisibly lines up with this compact cluster.) The physical influence of such an assembly is minuscule. Thanks to the long distances and small masses of the planets, the tidal increase in Earth's oceans is less than '/300 inch. On the 17th, the five-planet conference attains its minimal diameter: 19 degrees. By month's end, Jupiter passes close to Saturn in the rarest of the naked-eye conjunctions (occurring once every 20 years), but this event is obscured by morning twilight. On the 28th, Mercury stands low in the west shortly after sunset.

m

Month of little hands with daisies. Lovers' love, and poets' praises; O thou merry month complete. May, thy very name is sweet! -Leigh Hum

Fanner's CalendaiThe radish

Dates, Feasts, Fasts,

Weather

Aspects, Tide Heights

i

and peppery young

pert

the garden's quick fix,

is

its in-

stant hit of bUss.

For the most part, the

vegetable patch

is

the strict theater of

delayed gratification:

If

you want

its

rewards, you must plan and plant and 1

M.

2 Tu. 3

W.

4 Th. 5 Fr. 6 Sa. 7 A 8 M.

May

& James King James Bible

G

Day

Sts. Philip

9.8 10.2

Eq-

Out we

Benjamin Spock

Dr.

_. f 10.5 Invention CBS Evening News pale • ''^^H 11.3 of the Cross • premiered. 1948 10.7 It's always a lot easier to • I New react than it is to think. >-7 Stock Market founded. lumpy, • crashed, 1893 d_j, Vl • 1847 ,

and

'

AMA

O

rr>

Hindenburg exploded and

at

•

perig. vL peng.

/ 11.9 *'I 10.7

burst into flames, 1937

2^ ^. a(. €as!ter Julian of Norwich •

C

Tides

light-

deprived,

• { }o;4

2 9.8

f

9

1 1

9 Tu. 10 W. 11 Th. 12 Fr.

SlGre^oiyofNaiianzus • insup.cT • I 96° Jamestown, 2 1 ° F, Aurora, d-r9 /—\ • N.D.,F, 1987 • 111., 1966

13 Sa.

Saints

W

f

•

I

10.3 9.6

A

arK

M.

Ellen Church became flight anendant, 1930

^. at

Carter

(L

time

'

f

I

9.9 10.0

•

like

9.8 f ""^^ 1 10.4 _. f 9.8 'I'^^s^ • .,,.

a

done

The art of being wise is the art jq^ of knowing what to overlook. • Brown vs. Board of N.Y. Stock Exchange Education decision, 1954 • established, 1792 Full /~\ Reggie Jackson ^., f 9.7 • • bom 1946 • Tides | Flower

nating,

,

U

hiber-

_

^ ^ fS 9U O

hungry

n

.

21

A

4ft,

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

M.

(Canada)

31

at Caster

.

Victoria

•

\n^?S9¥l''' •

rr qq rr ™ns • Vi low • U. at T^'"'^ makes more converts

Day

Tu. dtTl ^

O

'

9.0

lithe

t,

,

,

.

,

„

stat.

• Tides

9.3 8.6

Sally Ride

I

gentle 9,1

Sa.

1 St. Augustine of Canterbuiy* bom. 1951 • 1 8.7 Richard Gurley Drew patented Vincent Price adhesive cellophane tape, 1930 • bom, 1911

A

Eofiation

M.

Memorial Day •

Tu.

First U.S. daily published, 1783

W.

Visit, of

Fr.

^. •p'lf^

Marv •

G • newspaper e^.

d If b

J*

™^^ { l\

°"^'

sun,

>

we

f

«/'-^^

that • Tides { 10.0 ,n n 1917 Gale Savers winter's • bom, 1943 •

bom^tw*

• {

ui

example, would never be

heard from again. Radishes, however, are riding the express. Within days, their tops are out

them

—

little

a fat

of the ground. In a

more, you're eating

two weeks from

dirt to

Maybe in the tropics, they've

got growables with

moves

like that,

but around here, the radish looks like the easiest

And

money

going.

a lucky thing, too, for by the

time the radishes pay

off, their

winter-

and hard from Florida and Cahfomia and taste like dishwater. We need

apo.

St.

S

A bean seed planted in those con-

vegetables that have been ridden long

Th.

•

mud.

Hardly a promising venue, you would

antic i-

W.

dSd

made row

pating.

f7 * Blinking in \L than reason. Anti-Saloon League founded. Queen Victoria • bom, 1819 Oberlin, Ohio, 1893 Bede •

dropping the

weary growers are about busted, coming off six or seven months of

10.1

(T vi.

in April,

and

Boys- Clubs f 10.6 • founded. 1906 • I 9.5 St. DunStan • Christopher Columbus Jimmy Stewart f 10.5 • bom, 1908 died, 1506 "l 9.4 e
.

Th.

.

.

A Tu.

for,

use, or not use alone.

'"