Jack’s Joke Shop opens.

Operated by Jack Goldberg, it is located initially on Hanover Street in Scollay Square. The first novelty and joke store in the U.S., it moves to a number of downtown locations, including Bromfield, Boylston, and Tremont Streets. It is later run by Goldberg’s son-in-law, Harold Bengin, who wonders, “How many whoopee cushions can a person sell in their lifetime?” The store’s final location is 226 Tremont Street. It closes in January 2007. (2006)