John van Neumann's jokes

John von Neumann Seen by his Brother by Nicholas A. von Neuman.

John loved to tell jokes in his pleasant raconteurian narrative fashion. These were not jokes which he made up, but rather jokes which he heard elsewhere and memorized for presentation in due time in the family circle, which was then followed by a discussion and analysis of the issues involved.  The aim was not necessarily entertainment or showing off or enjoying being in the spotlight. On the contrary, at least one principal aim was to analyze or discuss after the presentation the deeper, hidden meanings of the joke, its message, or the subconsciously recorded and then exposed hidden implications. And of course, some sense of humor and an atmosphere of comedy always helped to convey serious messages or critiques which otherwise would not be appreciated. In this spirit I am now going to repeat some of his favorite jokes -- not for the entertainment of my readers, but for the benefit of better describing the atmosphere of our early environment. In some instances I will indicate the context or future relevance of the joke, its message, and of the public discussion which followed, although in most instances this would be obvious in any event.

What does the smartest man who ever lived find funny?  I'll post over the next few days.

Francis Joseph walking in Prater, Vienna's famous big public park, with an aide on a warm early spring afternoon. Couples sitting on, under and behind benches, in and behind shrubbery, in each others' arms and tender embraces. His majesty looks around with astonishment and finally asks his aide what these young people are doing. The aide turns to his majesty's ear and in a low voice gives the answer -- such low voice that others could not hear it and history could not record it. His majesty, in turn, looks around once more with astonishment, and says with an expression of bewilderment: "Also machen das die Leute nochl" ("So it's still being done!") (Context: FJ's alleged senility at the time of the outbreak of World War I .)