Genteel people with a working sense of empathy try not to draw attention to the farts we detect, lest we embarrass the perpetrator unnecessarily. But farts in general, fictional farts, and farts from unidentified persons are fair game. After all, flatulence is funny. We all know that it's natural, everyone does it, and it's hard not to giggle when you hear that sound, whether it's a fart or merely an imitation. In fact, the oldest joke we've found so far involves a fart. That one set off a never-ending stream of fart jokes, some that went into the history books, although you will find them more often in science books and fiction. Poetry, too.
In the history of fart jokes, some stand head and shoulders above the rest. Cracked brings us five of the most notorious fart jokes, from ancient Sumer, Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, Benjamin Franklin, and Joseph Pujol.
You can read a more extensive article on Pujol right here.
(Image credit: Barb Crawford)
