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Jul 3, 1543
Jane the Foole, the female jester of English court
Jane Foole, was one of the only female jester's ever depicted in history. She was the jester to Queen Catherine Parr, Queen Mary I of England and possibly Queen Anne Boelyn. -
Richard Tarlton, the first professional fool
An English actor and often cited as the first professional fool. He set the stage for Elizabeathan actors that came after him and for all fools after. The Joker in packs of playing cards is based off of him. He was one of Queen Elizabeth's favorite jesters. -
First Performance of King Lear
A tragedy by Shakespeare relies heavily on the character of the fool. Shakespearean fools are usually clever commoners and use their wit to call out the follies of those around them and to outdo people of higher social standing. -
Thomas Killigrew court jester to Charles II
Thomas Killigrew, English dramatist was considered the 'jester' of Charles II's court. In his famous diary, Samuel Pepys wrote that Killigrew had the office of the King's fool and jester, with the power to mock and revile even the most prominent without penalty. -
Thomas Paine's Common Sense is published.
Common Sense challenged the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy. The plain language that Paine used spoke to the average colonist and was the first work to openly ask for independence. Although it was not exactly parody or satire, Paine's fresh writing style and directness was an accessible call to action. -
Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) experiments with a literaray hoax
Clemens was stationed in Nevada, writing for the Territorial Enterprise, when he fabricated stories including discussions about a petrified man and a ghastly massacre in Empire City. Covering the territorial legislature, Clemens helped form the "Third House," a deliberative body of fellow journalists who met at session's end to mock the lawmakers. Clemens was one of the first 'faux news' journalists of his time. -
"Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke".
Comedian Will Rogers, sets the precedent for satirists like Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert by mocking the president (Woodrow Wilson) and other politicians of the time. -
Wotaphony Newsreel, an early example of satirical news
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released a series of ten one-reel theatrical shorts called Goofy Movies, which included "Wotaphony Newsreel," a newsreel parody that paired actual footage with a mocking, deadpan narration -
The Week That Was Premieres on BBC
TWTW as a satirical television comedy show on BBC in the UK. It broke groun in comedy by lampooning the establishment and political figures. It was a significant factor in the satire boom in the UK during the 60s. -
Weekend Update begins on SNL
SNL's longest-running sketch comments on and parodies current events. Set up similar to a news broadcast with two anchors, the sktech involves reporting on current events in a very humorous way. -
Jon Stewart takes over The Daily Show
The format of the show changes and beginning of the era of "fake news" program begins. Stewart skillfully used satire and parody to discuss the news and the way in which the news was presented. It won 18 Primetime Emmy's and at its height had 3.6 million viewers. -
The Colbert Report premieres
Steven Colbert, a correspondant on The Daily Show, premieres his own show called The Colbert Report which works in the same vain as the TDS and uses parody and satire to report on the news.
