This is the first episode of a two-part series on the origin of jokes and humor. The story appears in podcast feeds under the title, "Jokes, Part I: Sumer Funny, Sumer Not." Listen to part two here.

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Since the humble beginnings of language itself, people have been trying to make others laugh—or challenge their cleverness by asking them to figure out confounding riddles. From perplexing puns and ...

Elon Musk loves to make jokes on Twitter, but I’m starting to wonder whether he’s ever made an original joke in his life. Because anytime you see a joke or a meme from the billionaire owner of the ...

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission. “Why do fathers take an extra pair of socks when they go ...

You know you're not supposed to laugh, but that's exactly what makes these dark humor jokes so funny. We can all agree that there's never a bad time for a good joke. In fact, given life's many ups and ...

Katt Williams' accusation that Cedric the Entertainer ripped off his joke prompts a debate about what matters — and doesn't — when a gag is stolen. By Eric Spitznagel In early January, comedian Katt ...

If you haven’t been asleep for the past 20 years, you’ll probably recognize this exchange as a dad joke. The term dad joke is credited to a June 20, 1987, editorial in the Gettysburg Times. Writer Jim ...

The intersection of comedy and music isn’t always as blatantly obvious as novelty songs like “King Tut” by Steve Martin or the entirety of Weird Al’s discography. Sometimes, the joke is so subtle and ...