Founding Father Benjamin Franklin published an astrological column in his famous Poor Richard's Almanack under the pseudonym Richard Saunders, mostly to mock actual astrologers.

A horoscope turned into a publishing prank

Benjamin Franklin used the voice of “Richard Saunders” for Poor Richard’s Almanack, a popular annual guide that mixed practical information with humor. Its astrological column let Franklin poke at astrologers who presented predictions as reliable knowledge. Rather than simply arguing against them, he made the prediction itself part of the joke.

In the almanac’s first edition, Saunders forecast that a rival publisher would die. The man was still alive, so he answered publicly to demonstrate that the forecast had failed. The prediction therefore did more than amuse readers: it drew the rival into a public exchange that made the almanac’s mockery visible.

The joke depended on a serious-looking format

An almanac was a familiar place to find calendars and forecasts, so an astrological prediction could initially look like ordinary fare. Franklin’s pseudonym gave him room to adopt that voice while inviting readers to notice its absurdity. The prank worked by borrowing astrology’s air of certainty, then letting reality contradict it in public.

That collision made the column more pointed than a simple denunciation. The rival’s response supplied the punchline—and helped turn a printed forecast into a memorable piece of literary mischief.