Life — May 3, 1917 — page 17: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical comic traces how a single joke travels through history and society. The sequence shows: 1. **Adam liked it** - A child discovers the joke in prehistoric times 2. **So did Noah** - The joke survives to biblical times 3. **Homer claimed it for his own** - Ancient writers appropriate it 4. **Caesar took it to Egypt** - Military/political figures spread it 5. **Joe Miller adopted it** - Reference to Joe Miller's Jests, an 18th-century joke collection 6. **Just the other day** - A newspaper editor publishes it as original material The final panel shows the joke reaching a modern newspaper office, where an editor presents it to readers as fresh content, unaware of its ancient origins. The satire mocks how "new" material circulates endlessly through culture—from ancient times through literature, politics, and finally modern journalism—with each person believing they've discovered something original.