CHUCKLE. GIGGLE. LAUGH. SNORT: Today may not be April Fool’s Day, but it is a day for humor and laughter as July 1 is recognized around the globe as International Joke Day!
Today is a day to recognize and focus on the importance which humor plays in our everyday lives to keep stress at bay, to develop and build friendships and to shine a light of levity within a suffering world, which would definitely benefit from more humor.
Although both April Fools and International Joke Day pertain to bringing humor into our daily lives — that is the extent of their similarities, for April Fools is about pulling pranks and tricks to get a laugh, while International Joke Day is about appreciating a smile, a grin, giggle or a laugh.
Did you know that one of the earliest recorded jokes was found in an ancient Egyptian text, the Westcar Papyrus, which 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.”
Another fun joke fact, famous author William Shakespeare is responsible for introducing the “knock-knock” joke for the first time in 1603 within his play “MacBeth.”
Another classic, recorded for the first time in the monthly New York magazine, “The Knickerbocker,” in 1847 was the joke, “Why did the chicken cross the road.” — “To get to the other side.”
According to NationalToday.com, “Studies have shown laughing has far reaching positive effects for the mind and body. It gives the immune system a boost by decreasing stress hormones, it improves heart health by increasing blood flow and can even burn calories.”
Make someone smile today!
