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The history of The Far Sideis full of jokes about...well, history. Creator Gary Larson was a history buff, obsessed with bygone eras, from the earliest days of prehistory to the relatively recent period of the Wild West. And while many Far Side comics were set in the past, some went a step further and changed it.
Yes, The Far Side went full-on alternate history at times, flipping the script on recognizable moments from throughout history, making a mockery of historical figures, and generally bringing a brilliantly irreverent tone to humanity's past.
This list is a survey of some of the funniest, most unforgettable bits of historical revisionism that Gary Larson ever produced. In particular, these cartoon selections are drawn from the earlier days of The Far Side's history itself, showcasing how Larson's love of the subject was critical to the comic from the jump.
The Far Side Reveals "The Real Reason" Why Prehistoric Life Died Off
First Published: December 15, 1982
This Far Side cartoon is widely cited as one of Gary Larson's most memorable jokes ever. Captioned "the real reason dinosaurs went extinct,' the panel depicts a trio of dinos who have snuck off to light up a smoke. It's an amusing bit of revisionism, but what really sells the joke is how Larson draws the ciggy-smoking dinosaurs.
That is, like they're teenage delinquents, cutting class to find a secluded spot on their high school campus for an illicit smoke. They're illustrated with shifty eyes, one looking over its shoulder as it lights another's cigarette. This Far Side panel also stands out as one with a more overt message than most: Gary Larson says smoking is bad.
The Far Side Highlights The Seedy Side Of Prehistoric Cave Art
First Published: March 26, 1980
For Gary Larson, prehistory was the perfect blank canvas. Larson loved to revisit the earliest days of human history. The Far Side routinely reinvented the wheel, rediscovered fire, and reflected on the origins of art and culture in hilariously off-kilter fashion. And these jokes tended to circle back to the same core motif: "the more things change, the more things stay the same."
Case in point: this early Far Side cave cartoon, which suggests that early cave art was functionally no different than graffiti in a modern bar bathroom. Larson illuminated this point by having one of his many archeologist characters shine a flashlight on a message carved into the cave wall: "For a good time call Oona," with the Neanderthal equivalent of a phone number etched underneath.
The Far Side Reveals The Real Purpose Of The Pyramids
First Published: June 4, 1980
Gary Larson was fascinated by Ancient Egypt and Egyptologists, and that intellectual area of interest spilled over into many memorable Far Side cartoons. In this early example, Larson takes readers back to the construction of the pyramids, and he even goes so far as to offer his own ludicrous explanation for them.
"If it'll keep my razor blades sharp, that's all I ask," a skeptical Pharaoh says, as he watches another giant block be hauled toward the in-progress pyramid. It's a supremely silly answer to a serious archeological question. It might make readers crack up, or roll their eyes, but either way, that dissonance is designed to get a rise out of them, and it works.
The Truth About The Sphinx's Nose (According To The Far Side)
First Published: June 9, 1980
Gary Larson clearly had Egypt on the brain in late May/early June 1980, because he published two of the funniest Far Side comics about Egypt within just a few days of each other. With this panel, Larson tackled another classic mystery about the region's legendary monuments: what happened to the Sphinx's nose?
There's an apocryphal story that Napoleon shot it off with a cannonball during his conquest of Egypt, but that's not true. The Far Side's version of events turns it into a classic husband/wife spat. "You had to go and hit the chisel one more time,' a wife chides her artisan husband, as he stares down at the nose he just chipped off the otherwise perfect Sphinx.
An All-Time Great Far Side Presents A Historic Case Of Mistaken Identity
First Published: December 11, 1984
This is low-key one of The Far Side's funniest history jokes ever, and it's also a testament to Gary Larson's masterful knack for wordplay. In the cartoon, a battalion of armored, spear-wielding soldiers prepare to defend their castle from an attack by the notorious historical warrior Attila the Hun. Instead, they're confronted with the much more benign "Al Tilley...the bum."
Yes, it's a groan-inducing stretch of a punchline, which is precisely what makes it iconic. It's a perfect example of The Far Side's ability to be "Schrödinger's stupid." The comic is simultaneously incredibly smart and super dumb, and it only collapses into one state or the other once the reader reads it and either laughs, or scowls.
The Far Side Suggests The Vikings Weren't Always So Vicious
First Published: October 12, 1982
"Historical note," the caption of this Far Side Viking comic begins, before going on to state a thoroughly, hilariously ahistorical fact. The caption goes on to explain that Viking raids originally ended when they would "egg the houses of coastal villagers," rather than, say, burning them to the ground.
That is, "until [the Vikings] became truly nasty." The accompanying image shows the Norse warriors in question tossing eggs at primitive huts with wild abandon. The real kicker, though? The longboat in the background, sporting a fried egg on its flag, as opposed to the more fearsome emblems Viking raiders would later adopt.
The Unspoken Hero Of The American Revolution (According To The Far Side)
First Published: October 11, 1980
George Washington's 1776 Christmas crossing of the Delaware River was an early turning point in the American War for Independence. Washington and a small contingent of Continental soldiers rowed across the icy river at night, landing in New Jersey and striking a key victory there. Except, in The Far Side's retelling of the tale, they didn't actually "row."
Instead, Washington and his troops took an anachronistic motorboat ride, courtesy of "Sid's Rentals." Here, Larson riffs on the unforgettable 19th century painting that immortalized the event, except with the inclusion of forgotten Revolutionary War hero, Sid. It's an instant classic Far Side visual joke that gets across perfectly without any caption.
As Long As There Have Been Cameras, There Have Been Pranks (According To The Far Side)
First Published: December 16, 1981
Here's a solemn historical "reflective moment": a group of Union officers gather together shortly before the Battle of Gettsyburg to have their likeness captured by one of the earliest photographers. But wait, what's that? What is the soldier standing on his general's right flank doing with his hand behind the commanding officer's head?
That's right, making bunny ears. It's an amusing joke because of how it undercuts the gravity of this scene. Even better than that, though, this Far Side cartoon is a kind of historical artifact in itself. It shows the "bunny ears" picture gag was a thing way back in 1981, and by Larson's estimation, it must have been timeless, stretching back to the earliest days of the camera.
The Far Side Reveals The Real Opening Lines Of The Gettysburg Address
First Published: January 18, 1984
"Four score and seven years ago..." People might not fully appreciate what that means, or why Abraham Lincoln began his immortal Gettysburg Address with this line, or anything that came after it in the Address. But people at least know the quote, if nothing else. However, here, Gary Larson imagines "what if something decidedly less memorable preceded that?"
In The Far Side's version of American history, Lincoln actually starts with some light crowd work. This cartoon gives readers an over-the-shoulder glimpse of Lincoln's script at Gettysburg, which starts with a bad joke about a duck in a bar. Under that in parentheses is "wait for laughter," and then the iconic "four score" opening line. It's a hilarious historical Far Side punchline that humbles Lincoln in the funniest possible way.
The Far Side Shows How The Old West's Most Famous Gunfight Could Have Been Avoided
First Published: May 19, 1982
Like the caves of prehistory, or the medieval era, the American West was one of Gary Larson's go-toFar Side historical settings. Larson riffed on the legendary "Gunfight at the OK Corral" incident repeatedly over the years, and even repeated this punchline more than once. The gist of it: bloodshed was almost avoided by incorrect directions.
Here, a gang of gunslingers show up at the "Okeedokee Corral," only to realize that it "ain't the place" they're supposed to have their big showdown. It's a classic lampoon of an incident that has left an outsized mark on pop culture, having been adapted in books, movies, and, best of all, this memorable Far Side spoof.
We want to hear from you, Far Side fans. What other historical Far Side jokes should we cover?
