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An almanac (also spelled almanack) is an annual publication containing tabular information in a particular field or fields often arranged according to the calendar. 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. The word almanac comes from the Arabic ألمناخ al-manaakh, "the climate," reflecting its primary original purpose of providing information about the calendar and weather useful in agriculture.
Early almanacs
The precursor to the almanac was the Greek weather-calendar, the parapegma. Ptolemy, the Alexandrian astronomer (2nd century CE) 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. 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.
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 *.
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On This Day in History :: History
September 21, 2007: Immunizations Are Discontinued in Two HIV Vaccine Trials
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:42:16 -0500
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced on September 21, 2007, that based on a review of interim data, all sites in the STEP study ceased administering the investigational vaccine.
Almanac Online - Companion to National Public Broadcasting's award-winning radio and television programs: art, music, history, and current events.
CNN Daily Almanac - Provides daily briefs of historical events, previews of currently developing stories, and links to related sites.
Community Almanac - Online version of America-wide almanac for small urban communities.
Meta Description: [ The Almanac is a leading news provider in the South Hills since 1967. The Almanac serves Bethel Park, Bridgeville, Canonsburg, Castle Shannon, Cecil, Lawrence, McDonald, Mt. Lebanon, Peters Township, Pleasant Hills, Strabane, Upper St. Clair, and Venetia. The newspaper is committed to being a m... ]
Computer Almanac - Collection of numbers relevant to computers, along with references
Computer Industry Almanac - An annual reference guide to the computer industry. Thousands of links.
Meta Description: [ The complete resource to the Internet, PC and workstation industries--past, present and future. ]
Gary Price Fast Facts - Compilation of quick reference resources, including almanacs, statistics, and fact books.
Her Majesty's Nautical Almanac Office - Produces the Astronomical Almanac, the Nautical Almanac, Astronomical Phenomena, the Star Almanac and the UK Air Almanac.
Meta Description: [ HM Nautical Almanac Office ]
J. Grubers Hagerstown Town and Country Farmers Almanack - Weather predictions, garden, health and home, who's who and astronomy.
The Almanac News - A source for local news for citizens of Palo Alto and Mountain View communities.
Meta Description: [ Almanac News is the online version of the print edition of the Almanac. ]
The Moron's Almanac - Humorous take on almanacs. Compares two unrelated events on their anniversary.
Meta Description: [ Home of the Moron's Almanac, your premiere source of misinformation, now with this moron's Europblog. ]
The World Almanac - Features online ordering of the print edition, today in history, and today's birthdays.
University of Pennsylvania Almanac - Compilation of information on politics, social studies and history.
Meta Description: [ The University of Pennsylvania's Almanac is a journal of record and opinion that is edited for faculty and staff. ]
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