Teddy had his stick.
Martin had a dream.
And Ben, well, Ben had gas.
Why is it I am only now learning about this? 
Have I been living under a rock? I didn’t think so. Yet, here it is some 20 years have passed and I am just learning about this. Benjamin Franklin had one sick sense of humor. Awesome!
Why is it when we learn about history we learn about the boring wars and glorify those Anglo-Saxon conquerors explorers for their great prowess in stealing and raping finding and settling this great land of ours. Yet we never see the truly human, and often humorous, side of our forefathers?
It is universally well known, That in digesting our common Food, there is created or produced in the Bowels of human Creatures, a great Quantity of Wind. That the permitting this Air to escape and mix with the Atmosphere, is usually offensive to the Company, from the fetid Smell that accompanies it. That all well-bred People therefore, to avoid giving such Offence, forcibly restrain the Efforts of Nature to discharge that Wind.
They tell us all about the powdered wigs and boring politics, which I believe has not changed since the dawn of the political machine. Yet, one highly influential forefather gets satirical about the state of human flatulence and no one breathes a word of it. I don’t get it.
Shy, sensitive, awkward, funny, ecclectic
I wonder what other great historical figures have even greater stories to be told. Not just the stuffy same old same old watered down crap, but those really great stories that make us say, ‘Hey! He’s a lot like me. I’m a lot like him.’
Mr. Franklin, I always thought what you accomplished during your life was amazing. Now I know you were pretty cool, too.
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This post was inspired by a Trivial Pursuit question. See, playing games with your children can induce unintended learning, for them and you.
Disclaimer: Amazon affiliates links used in this post. Clicking on them may cause me to make a little bit of money, but only if you make a purchase.
That. Is. Awesome. I’m going to have to add this book to my reading list for the year.
Thanks!
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[Reply]
Anne
Twitter: AnneOnline
Reply:
January 4th, 2010 at 10:48 am
@Janessa, I know! I love that he left something behind [no pun intended] everyone can relate to. They really should be teaching these interesting factoids in school.
[Reply]
Twitter: websiteweekend
Excellent story!
I read that one of the courtiers in Elizabeth I’s court farted during an audience. He was so shamed he didn’t appear at court for 10 years.
When he returned (after 10 years), Elizabeth remarked something about how so little gas pain had such a large effect on his constitution so as to keep him away.
BTW, your lead in qualifies as an inciting incident. I’m listing you as #2.
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[Reply]
Anne
Twitter: AnneOnline
Reply:
January 4th, 2010 at 10:50 am
@Dave Doolin, Oh, I love that! I know I would be mortified, too. And to think she remembered and reminded him 10 years later. Great story. And thanks for the listing. Guess this means I got a passing grade on my homework.
[Reply]
Twitter: AussieSire
Sort of makes you wonder doesn’t it Anne, perhaps if the teachers used this sort of stuff in their lessons they would have less kids falling asleep during history lessons.
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[Reply]
Anne
Twitter: AnneOnline
Reply:
January 4th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
@Sire, Oh, the discussions that would ensue. Sure, there may be a little disruptive behavior, but that would soon settle and the real learning would begin. Imagine historical people were just regular Joes after all. Who knew?
[Reply]
Sire
Twitter: AussieSire
Reply:
January 4th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
@Anne, Of course and I bet they could fart away with the best of us. I wonder if they smelled as bad in those days considering they wouldn’t have all the preservatives and additives and stuff?
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[Reply]
[...] On Line gives us “I Always Admired Mr. Franklin, But Now I Truly Respect Him.” Check this out: Teddy had his [...]
Franklin was a genius and the first Capitalist. He was one of the few founding fathers that was not born in privilege. By the age of 40 he retired. He was a great Plagiarizer with old richard almanac
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[Reply]
Anne
Twitter: AnneOnline
Reply:
January 5th, 2010 at 11:26 pm
@ppo, All the great fun facts of history that would keep teenagers entertained for hours.
[Reply]
This is so much fun! Look at all the cool stuff they never teach us in school. If educators would seek to make “historical figures” more personal, more of us may take an interest in them as something more than “facts and figures to be memorized”. Thanks for sharing!
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[Reply]
Anne
Twitter: AnneOnline
Reply:
January 6th, 2010 at 5:14 pm
@Kimberly Castleberry, I agree 100%, Kimberly! Maybe if teachers didn’t have to teach for standardized test they might be able to spice things up with a few fun facts about our forefathers [and mothers]. I know I would have remembered more.
[Reply]