The Business Card

The practice of placing such inane data as your name, phone number, and official title on a small piece of paper to give to others in a ritualistic ceremony known as networking began in the 1700’s.

It's business time.

It was late afternoon, and Eli “The Cotton Gin” Whitney was hard at work inventing. For Whitney, working was the same as getting drunk (thus the nickname), so he was well into a bender when he was reminded that he had to give a speech to the local Quakers. Never one to use his alcoholism as an excuse, Eli “manned up” and went to give the talk.

Upon reaching the stage, and realizing that he had forgotten what he was supposed to talk about, Eli quickly improvised. He asked for questions and before anyone could think of something to say, he took out a piece of paper on which he had drawn a stick figure of himself running naked through a field of cotton and yelled, “Anything further, here’s my info.” He walked off the stage with an: ”I’m out bitches.”