Forgot to laugh? Well, put this on your calendar: National Let’s Laugh Day is March 19. This is the day we remind you to chuckle, guffaw or snicker with someone you love (or at the very least, tolerate). So, grab your unicycle, clown nose, and rubber chicken. Also make sure to download a laugh track to your phone to be sure none of your jokes bomb.
National Let's Laugh Day - History
The late 1950’s
The Laugh Track Invented
Charles Douglass, a sound engineer, invented the laugh track. It became a standard in mainstream television. Most prime-time sitcoms used it from the late 1950s to the late 1970s.
The 1930s and 40s
The Art of Standup Comedy Takes Off
Standup became a regular form of entertainment in the “Borscht Belt”: a chain of summer resort towns in the Catskill Mountains of the Hudson valley in New York. This gave Henny Youngman an opportunity to say, “Take my wife… PLEASE!”
446 B.C.
Aristophanes is born
The most important Old Comic dramatist’s brand of Ancient Greek Comedy (which sounds contradictory) included political satire and abundance of sexual and scatological innuendos... much like today’s Judd Apatow movies.
National Let's Laugh Day Activities
1. Go to a comedy club
Sometimes, it’s best to leave it to a professional. For a cover charge and a two-drink minimum, laugh yourself stupid to mark the holiday!
2. Call your funny friends and invite them over
Debbie Downer and Sad Saul need not know you’re having a strictly silly soiree at your place. Only those who crack you up and make you laugh need attend.
3. Watch some of the best comedies of all time
Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, YouTube or your own private BlueRay (or DVD) collection can provide some of the best one-liners, punchlines and anecdotal comedy to pass the time.
Why We Love National Let's Laugh Day
A. Do you know anyone who DOESN’T like laughing?
Have you ever asked someone, “Do you like to laugh?” and had them answer, “No. I hate laughing. I’d much rather cry.”? Right. I didn’t think so.
B. Laughter is the best medicine
While we did not coin that phrase, studies have shown that laughter can relieve tension, help you relax and boost your immune system… with no side effects!
C. Laughing can be a form of exercise
Laughing exercises several muscles in the body, including your abdomen, back, shoulders, and 15 facial muscles. You could also try hysterically laughing while on an elliptical to really get a workout but others may stare.
