A Loud Fart in Front of the Virgin Queen
As seen further down this list, farts have had an oversized impact on history. Some farts have produced weird and disproportionate consequences, such as the triggering of widespread mayhem, death, and destruction. They have also wrecked political careers and destroyed social standings. A prime example of the latter can be seen in the social faux pas, or more like fart pas, of Elizabethan aristocrat Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. Reportedly, as he made a deep bow to show his respect and obeisance to Queen Elizabeth I, this Earl of Oxford exploded in a huge fart.
The unfortunate aristocrat of Oxford felt so embarrassed and ashamed that he left the country for seven years. When he finally came back home, the Virgin Queen’s first words upon his return to court were: “My lord, I had forgot the fart!” As the Earl of Oxford’s unfortunate bout of flatulence illustrates, breaking wind in public was cause for embarrassment in the court of Elizabeth I. However, as seen below, such embarrassment pales in comparison to the social consequences of a public fart in the Arabian Peninsula.
