More than just hot air...

Benjamin Franklin is one of the most prominent figures in American History. He discovered electricity, he participated in the drafting and signing of The Declaration of Independence, and did much to lay the foundation for the society of the United States of America. He was a true renaissance man, and his inventions, quotes, and philosophical musings are still present in our daily lives, over 200 years after his death.

Do the math people, he’s on the $100 bill. George Washington is only on the $1. This guy was a “colonial rock star”.

Benjamin Franklin encouraged us to Fart Proudly

And, mixed in with his invention of the lightening rod, and bifocals, and his discovery of electricity, there is his love of farting.

Do we forget that everybody farts? Barack Obama? yes… The Pope? yes….Michael Jackson? well, not anymore….but, anybody who is alive is farting on a daily basis.

Franklin was not above recognizing this. And, to mess with the pretentious European scientific societies (the kind, I guess that now give out Nobel Prizes), Franklin wrote a letter in 1781 entitled “To The Royal Academy Of Farting”. In that letter, he proposed that a study should be commissioned to find a cure for nasty smelling farts. He indicated that this was a major issue that should be researched.

He felt this was a most useful and important research topic. After all, he argued, the philosophy of Socrates and Aristotle was nice, but how useful was it on a daily basis to the happiness and comfort of the common man?

Of course, he was just busting their balls. But now, 230 years later, wouldn’t it be nice if we could just take a daily pill and make our farts smell like roses? Or maybe like jasmine or fresh baked chocolate chip cookies?

That would be a fantastic invention…it’s a shame Franklin’s letter was just a joke, and that he spent all his time inventing useless things like bifocals, and banging debutantes…With global warming, the worldwide economic crisis, and swine flu, we sure could use some nice smelling farts these days.