history in jokes

Some years ago a small rural town in Spain twinned with a similar town in Greece.

The mayor of the Greek town visited the Spanish town. When he saw the palatial mansion belonging to the Spanish mayor, he wondered aloud how on earth he could afford such a house.

The Spaniard replied: ‘You see that bridge over there? The EU gave us a grant to construct a two-lane bridge, but by building a single lane bridge with traffic lights at either end, I could build this place.’

The following year the Spaniard visited the Greek town. He was simply amazed at the Greek mayor’s house: gold taps, marble floors, diamond doorknobs, it was marvellous.

When he asked how he’d raised the money to build this incredible house, the Greek mayor said: ‘You see that bridge over there?’

The Spaniard replied: ‘No.’ 

[Source | more info on European Soverign Debt Crisis] 

Heard back in 1987, during the Gorbachev years : 

After hours of standing in a bread line, a young man suddenly throws up his hands and shouts, “Enough! I’ve had it! I’m going to go kill Gorbachev!!” and stomps off.

An hour later, he returns to the line he was in, his head hanging down. “What happened?” the other people in line ask. “I thought you were going to kill Gorbachev!”

“That line was even longer,” he says.

[More info : Mikhail Gorbachev]

“For I did not speak of my own accord” - John 12:49

[Source]

A Russian tourist comes to Estonia, and is told to fill in a form. 

Name: Petr Kuznetsov
Age: 45
Sex: Male
Occupation: Not this time, just visiting.

[Source]