HOST: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English. (MUSIC) I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week: We report about the World Almanac. HOST: Listeners to American Mosaic send us letters and e-mails asking many kinds of questions about the United States. One place we sometimes look for answers is a book called The World Almanac and Book of Facts. Barbara Klein explains.
BARBARA KLEIN: A new World Almanac is published every year and provides up-to-date information about many places and things. For example, you can find the names of actors who won Academy Awards in past years. The names of athletes who won major sports awards. Information about American cities and states.
The book also provides information about the nations of the world. It tells about world history, geography, business, science and technology and languages.
It presents the most important and most unusual news stories of the past year. And it gives interesting facts, such as the nation with the most refugees (Pakistan). The nation with the most vacation days each year (Italy). And the most popular dog in the United States (Labrador Retriever).
The New York World newspaper published the first World Almanac in eighteen sixty-eight. That is why it is called The World Almanac.
The World Almanac Web site says the publication has played a part in American history. For example, in nineteen twenty-three, Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as president after the sudden death of President Warren Harding. Mister Coolidge's father, a judge, read the oath of office from a copy of The World Almanac. The Web site also says that several recent American presidents have used the book. It says there are photographs of presidents John Kennedy and Bill Clinton that show a copy of The World Almanac on or near their desks.
The Web site also claims that The World Almanac is the best-selling American reference book of all time. It says that more than eighty million copies have been sold.
The World Almanac now also publishes a computer version as well as a separate Almanac for children. The Kids Almanac provides information children might need for school reports. It also has games, puzzles and other activities children enjoy.
HOST: I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today.
It was written by Dana Demange and Nancy Steinbach. Caty Weaver was our producer.
Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA's radio magazine in Special English.
