C’mon now… Let’s start off the week with a laugh for a change. We ALL need it! ~ Editor
In his essay, Benjamin Franklin requested experts to find a way to make the farts ‘not only inoffensive but agreeable as perfumes.’

Engraved portrait of a younger Benjamin Franklin by HB Hall, 1868. From the New York Public Library.
In 1780s, Benjamin Franklin, who was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, wrote an essay that showed he had perfectly mastered the art of sarcasm. The topic of the essay was important scientifically – flatulence, or as many call it, farting – but it came with a touch of humor. The reason why he chose the amusing topic was a question posed by the Royal Academy of Brussels, which was formed in 1772. In its early years, the academy organized several intellectual contests for which it devised questions and awarded medals. The questions were believed to be intellectually important, having a ‘practical value.’ However, in 1799, the academy presented one mathematical question which Benjamin Franklin found ridiculous. In response to it, he wrote the essay, which is famously known as “To the Royal Academy of Farting” or “Fart Proudly.” Continue reading