Honestly, we could write an entire article about the history of fart jokes, which are as old as human civilization itself: According to the English study we mentioned before, the oldest surviving joke in the world is a 3,000-year-old Babylonian fart gag. Whoopee cushions, however, are a relatively recent development -- it took nothing short of the industrial revolution and a world war for this clever invention (a rubber bag that makes a farting noise when you sit on it) to appear on the shelves.

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Here's an unlikely example of a whoopee cushion in use from an otherwise serious scene in the show Supernatural, of all places:

That's when whoopee cushions work best: When you totally don't expect them. And what could be more unexpected than finding them 1,800 years ago?

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The Old-Timey Version:

Apparently the arrival of the modern whoopee cushion was more of a renaissance than a revolution in flatulence humor. As with so many of the great inventions in history, the whoopee cushion has been around since ancient Rome -- and its creator was none other than Elagabalus, the Emperor of the Roman Empire between the years 218 and 222.

Via Ancienthistory.about.com

Emperor Elagabalus, minus his usual Groucho glasses and exploding cigar.

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According to Rome in East by archaeologist Warwick Ball, during Elagabalus' brief and turbulent reign, the emperor did occasionally show a "more likeable side." Specifically, he had a reputation as a practical joker, such as "his practice of seating his more pompous dinner guests on 'whoopee cushions' that let out a farting noise." The prototype novelty item was described as an "air pillow" that would gradually let out the air inside as the guests had dinner, eventually leaving them red-faced and sitting under the table.

So, yeah, for a while the mighty Roman Empire was ruled by a third-century Carrot Top. This makes more sense when you consider that Elagabalus was only 14 when he took over as emperor, and 18 when he was assassinated by his own Praetorian Guard for being an annoying little shit.

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Thanks to Jesse Clark for the idea for this article. Follow Jacopo della Quercia on Twitter! Visit Elijah Torp's blog or email him at ElijahTorp@Gmail.com.

For more things way older than us, check out 11 Modern Technologies That Are Way Older Than You Think and 5 Internet Annoyances That Are Way Older Than the Internet.

If you're pressed for time and just looking for a quick fix, then check out The 4 Weirdest Anime DVD Extras (Are Weirder Than You Think).