How Many Light-Bulb Jokes Does It Take to Chart an Era?
“,”description”:”Daniel Harris’s ”How Many Light-Bulb Jokes Does It Take to Chart an Era?” (March 23) sent me scurrying to an old trunk where, several months ago, I discovered a yellowing copy of a newspaper from the Victorian era. The newspaper, The Olivet (Michigan) Optic, dated July 31, 1890, contains the oldest light-bulb joke I’ve ever seen. Perhaps it would be of interest to other joke collectors who enjoyed your article as much as I did. Hall Boy (New York hotel): Beg parding, mister, but I stepped in to tell ye not to blow out the gas.
