What is the history of jokes?

0:00 Welcome to History's Not Boring by Kidopoly.com. I'm Mira! And I'm Finn! Before we start laughing today, we have some incredible listeners to thank. First, a big hello to Ted in Auckland, New Zealand, who asked about the history of jokes. This one is for you, Ted. And a very happy sixth birthday to King, a new listener whose favourite episode so far is the one about gravity.

0:27 Have a brilliant birthday, King!

0:30 Happy birthday, King! We hope your special day is totally out of this world.

0:35 We also want to say a huge hello to Bo, Lila and Georgia in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. They also asked for the history of jokes, so this one is for you three too. So many people want to know about jokes.

0:49 I guess everyone loves a good laugh.

0:52 Exactly! And that brings us to today's amazing topic. Finn, did you know that kings in the Middle Ages used to give comedians actual mansions and huge chunks of land just for making them laugh on Christmas? Wait, a whole mansion just for telling jokes? Yep, and the oldest recorded joke in human history was written down almost 4,000 years ago.

1:20 4,000 years? What did people even joke about back then? Get ready, because today we are travelling back in time to discover the history of jokes, the very first comedians, and the royal jesters who changed history. To find the very first recorded joke, we have to travel back to 1900 BC, to ancient Sumeria.

1:43 Wait, where exactly was Sumeria? It was located in Mesopotamia, which is in modern-day Iraq, and archaeologists actually found this joke carved into a clay tablet. No way! A joke on a clay tablet. What did it say? It was a very simple joke. The translation basically says it's about a young woman tooting while sitting in her husband's lap.

2:06 Wait, the first recorded joke in human history was a toot joke.

2:11 It really was. It is a plain historical fact. It shows that human beings 4,000 years ago found the exact same silly things funny that people do today.

2:22 That's actually pretty cool. It makes those ancient people seem a lot like us.

2:27 Exactly! Now, if you wanted a whole collection of jokes, you had to wait until the 4th century AD. That's when the oldest surviving joke book was written in ancient Greek. A whole book? Did it have a name? Yes, it was called Phylogylos, which translates from Greek to the laughter lover. It contained exactly 265 jokes.

2:50 265? What kind of jokes were they? A lot of them were about foolish scholars making silly mistakes. One joke is about a scholar who wants to know what he looks like when he's asleep, so he stands in front of a mirror with his eyes closed.

3:06 Haha, okay, that's actually really funny. I can picture him just standing there with his eyes squished shut.

3:12 So, we know people read jokes, but when do they start performing them? The answer is Ancient Greece and Rome, where huge open-air theatres could hold up to 15,000 people.

3:25 15,000 people? That's the size of a giant sports stadium. Did they have stand-up comedians?

3:32 Not exactly stand-up like today. They performed funny plays. A Roman writer named Plautus wrote hilarious comedies around 200 BC, filled with mixed-up identities and grumpy old men.

3:46 So people acted out the jokes instead of just telling them.

3:49 Right. But as history marched on into the Middle Ages, around the 1100s to 1500s, a new type of comedian was born, the Court Jester.

4:00 Oh, I know them! They wear those funny hats with the bells on the ends, right? Yes.

4:06 That colourful patchwork clothing was called Motley, and they carried a stick called a bauble, which looked like a wand with a tiny carved head on it. But why did kings need jesters? Couldn't they just watch a play? Jesters had a very special superpower. Kings were incredibly powerful, and no one dared to disagree with them or tell them they were wrong.

4:28 It was too dangerous.

4:30 Because the king might throw you in the dungeon.

4:33 Exactly. But jesters were known as licensed fools. That meant they had special permission to make fun of the king, point out his mistakes, and deliver bad news, all wrapped up in a joke.

4:45 Wow, so they had to be super brave and really smart to make the king laugh instead of getting mad.

4:52 And sometimes a jester's routine was incredibly specific. In the 1100s, King Henry II of England had an entertainer who is very famous to historians. What was his name? His genuine, officially recorded title in the Royal Records was Roland the Farter. Wow! History really is surprising. It is. That's not us being rude, Finn.

5:19 That is a matter-of-fact historical record from the royal courts. As historians, we just report the facts.

5:27 So what did Roland actually do for the king?

5:30 The royal records show that every single Christmas, Roland had to perform a special routine: one jump, one whistle, and one toot, all at the exact same time. Every Christmas?

5:45 Did he get paid for doing that?

5:48 He got paid incredibly well. King Henry rewarded him with a huge manor house and 30 acres of land in Suffolk, England. 30 acres is equal to about 22 American football fields.

6:03 That is unbelievable. Just for jumping, whistling and tooting.

6:08 Kings loved their entertainers. Another famous jester was Will Summers, who worked for King Henry VIII in the 1520s. Will was one of the only people who could cheer the king up when he was in a terrible mood. Did Will have a special trick, too? Will was famous for his witty rhymes, his bright green clothes, and for having a pet monkey that sat on his shoulder during his jokes.

6:34 But the era of the royal jester eventually faded. By the late 1500s and 1600s, comedy moved out of the King's Palace and into public theatres for everyone to enjoy.

6:46 So regular people finally got to see comedians?

6:50 Yes! William Shakespeare included clowns in his plays. One of the most famous was an actor named Will Kemp. In 1599, Kemp performed a publicity stunt where he danced a jig for 100 miles, all the way from London to Norwich. 100 miles of dancing? How long did that take? It took him nine days, and it became known as the Nine Days Wonder.

7:18 Thousands of people lined the streets to laugh and cheer him on.

7:22 That's like running four marathons while doing a silly dance.

7:27 Exactly! And that tradition of performing for crowds led to vaudeville theatres in the 1800s, and eventually the stand-up comedians we have today.

7:37 So jokes went from clay tablets to giant stadiums.

7:41 They did! And here is an amazing scientific fun fact. Laughter is literally contagious. When your brain hears the sound of someone else laughing, it automatically prepares your facial muscles to smile and join in.

7:56unknown Haha.

7:57 That explains why it's so hard not to laugh when your friends are giggling.

8:01 Alright, Finn, it is time for the quiz. Are you ready to test your knowledge on the history of comedy? I'm definitely ready. Bring on the questions. Okay, first question. In what year was the oldest recorded joke from ancient Sumeria written down? Next one. What was the name of the joke book written in ancient Greek that translated to the laughter lover?

8:32 Question 3. What major holiday did King Henry II's court entertainer perform his special routine on? Here's number four. What were the three parts of that entertainer's special royal routine? Last question. The first answer is 1900 BC. For question two, the ancient joke book was called Philogulos. Number three, the entertainer performed his routine on Christmas.

9:22 Question four. The three parts of his routine were one jump, one whistle, and one toot. And the final answer is Will Summers had a pet monkey.

9:34 I still can't believe someone danced for a hundred miles just to make people smile. History is incredible.

9:41 It really is. It just shows that no matter what era of history you live in, everyone needs a good laugh.

9:48 Hey, if you love learning about ancient jokebooks and royal jesters today, please leave us a five-star review. Just scroll down and tap the stars on your podcast app.

9:59 Yes, your reviews help other kids discover the amazing stories of history. Oh, and don't forget to check out our site, kidopoly.com. We've got tons of fun learning games and activities waiting for you there.

10:12 And if you want to shout out on the show, or just want to tell us your favourite history joke, email us at hello at kidopoly.com.

10:20 Thank you so much for listening and laughing with us today. See you next time on Histories Not Boring. Bye, everyone.