There’s something about the World Almanac and Book of Facts that tells me it deserves the inch and a half of room it requires on my grab-it-quick bookcase. Let’s face it, the world wide web doesn’t know everything; Wikipedia’s explanations are frequently beyond my level of understanding; and sometimes the prospect of cranking up the Google search home page one more time in a day is enough to send me out my office door and off for a three-week walkabout.
If you haven’t checked it out lately, this 1,008-page volume provides a snapshot of the year that was and the decades and centuries that were, in consumable and well-written bites.
Wondering just when the War of Roses took place and why? It’s covered in a tiny capsule in the “Military Affairs, Timeline of Major Wars” section.
Trying to figure out what song placed Shania Twain on the map? There it is in “Noted Personalities, Country Music Artists”: “You’re Still the One.”
Need the latest on internet usage in the United States? The “Technology, Internet Use” section provides data on most-visited sites, most popular apps, fixed broadband internet connections by type, usage by race and ethnicity and plenty of other statistics.
Every year I try to make donations to the non-profit online sites I use most often; the $14.99 cover price the World Almanac costs is a bargain in comparison.