Toilet Humor Transcends Time

According to a study published in Reuter’s, the world’s oldest recorded joke comes from Ancient Sumer and dates back to 1900 BC. The joke, which probably loses a little something in translation and historical context, is interpreted: “Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband’s lap.”

Kudos to ancient Sumerians for the advent of toilet humor, something that clearly transcends time.

Something else that transcends time are jokes about sex. An Egyptian joke, dating back to 1600 BC, is apparently a gag about a pharaoh, said to be King Sneferu, and is probably one of the oldest recorded jokes that uses sexual innuendo. The joke goes: “How do you entertain a bored pharaoh? You sail a boatload of young women dressed only in fishing nets down the Nile and urge the pharaoh to go catch a fish.”

What about the Anglo-Saxons? Where did their dry sense of humor come from? Well, the oldest British joke dates back to the 10th century and reveals the bawdy humor of the Anglo-Saxons — “What hangs at a man’s thigh and wants to poke the hole that it’s often poked before?”

If your mind immediately went to a man’s penis, you’re not alone. If I had to guess, that is what the Brits intended, but were they to answer the riddle, the reply would be, “a key.”

Humans NEED to laugh and humor often helps us deal with the challenges of every day life. What is your favorite joke of all time?