Straight Dope Archive

How does a coin-op pool table know to return the cue ball when you scratch?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Una
March 15, 2005
Could you jump off a bridge or a tall building and survive the fall?
By Cecil Adams
March 11, 2005
Why do you need to reach "escape velocity" to get away from earth?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Chronos
March 8, 2005
Is it impossible to open a refrigerator door from the inside?
By Cecil Adams
March 4, 2005
What's the origin of "slapstick"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by dropzone
March 1, 2005
Will looking directly at a solar eclipse make you go blind?
By Cecil Adams
February 25, 2005
How they salt peanuts in the shell, and other peanut facts
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Una
February 22, 2005
Do intravenous sedatives act instantly as depicted by Hollywood?
By Cecil Adams
February 18, 2005
What's the origin of "potluck"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ken
February 17, 2005
What happened to Hitler's family? Is progeria really accelerated aging?
By Cecil Adams
February 11, 2005
What's the origin of "slush fund"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
February 10, 2005
Why don't snowstorms produce lightning?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Una
February 8, 2005
Can you get drunk on Listerine? How about vanilla extract?
By Cecil Adams
February 4, 2005
What's the origin of "slow boat to China"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex and SamClem
February 1, 2005
Are male fertility rates shrinking?
By Cecil Adams
January 28, 2005
What's up with the biblical story of drunken Noah? (Part 2)
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
January 27, 2005
What's up with the biblical story of drunken Noah? (Part 1)
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
January 25, 2005
Exercise! Does running burn more calories than walking?
By Cecil Adams
January 21, 2005
Is there an easy way to correct for inflation?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Hawthorne
January 18, 2005
Were the witches of Salem a result of poisoning with ergot fungus?
By Cecil Adams
January 14, 2005
Is iceberg lettuce a drug?
By Cecil Adams
January 7, 2005
If St. Patrick didn't chase the snakes out of Ireland, what did?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Colibri
January 4, 2005
Was Boston once literally flooded with molasses?
By Cecil Adams
December 31, 2004
Why do we have so many temperature scales?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by hibernicus
December 28, 2004
Was Einstein a plagiarist?
By Cecil Adams
December 24, 2004
Is good personal hygiene a recent invention? (Did the days of old really stink?)
By Cecil Adams
December 17, 2004
Why don't fish crash into the side of the fishbowl?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Colibri
December 14, 2004
York, Pennsylvania: First capital of the United States?
By Cecil Adams
December 10, 2004
Did Vikings really wear horns on their helmets?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by bibliophage
December 7, 2004
Can a person be buried in the backyard rather than a cemetery?
By Cecil Adams
December 3, 2004
Is the grass always greener on the other side?
By Cecil Adams
November 26, 2004
Do lead fishing sinkers threaten the environment?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Una
November 23, 2004
Was the author of Peter Pan a pedophile?
By Cecil Adams
November 19, 2004
Did 90,000 people die of typhoid fever and cholera in Chicago in 1885?
By Cecil Adams
November 12, 2004
Was Super Glue invented to seal battle wounds in Vietnam?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Una
November 11, 2004
What makes blue cheese blue?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Una
November 9, 2004
Have Great Britain's restrictive gun laws contributed to the rise in violent crime?
By Cecil Adams
November 5, 2004
What happens to all the stuff that goes down the toilet?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Una
November 2, 2004
Have we ever had a killer in the White House?
By Cecil Adams
October 29, 2004
What happens when a gun fires blanks?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Una
October 26, 2004
Does shark cartilage prevent cancer?
By Cecil Adams
October 22, 2004
How come you never see midget animals?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
October 19, 2004
What's up with popup ads?
By Cecil Adams
October 15, 2004
What's up with "deviled" eggs, ham, etc.?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Una
October 12, 2004
What's the difference between premium and regular gas?
By Cecil Adams
October 8, 2004
Who or what is Chevy Chase?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ken and Colibri
October 5, 2004
What's wrong with cousins marrying?
By Cecil Adams
October 1, 2004
Do spiders have hydraulic legs?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
September 28, 2004
Is there more flatulence in a vegetarian diet?
By Cecil Adams
September 24, 2004
Can I use diesel fuel instead of regular gas?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Una
September 21, 2004
prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 next

Send questions for Cecil Adams to: cecil@chicagoreader.com

Send comments about this website to: webmaster@straightdope.com

Terms of Use / Privacy Policy

Advertise on the Straight Dope! Your direct line to thou- sands of the smartest, hippest people on the planet, plus a few total dipsticks.

Publishers - interested in subscribing to the Straight Dope? Write to: sdsubscriptions@cln.com.

Copyright 1996-2011 Creative Loafing Media, Inc. All rights reserved. No material contained in this site may be republished or reposted without express written permission. The Straight Dope is a registered trademark of Creative Loafing Media, Inc.

Other Creative Loafing Media, Inc. sites:

Creative Loafing Atlanta | Creative Loafing Charlotte | Chicago Reader | Creative Loafing Sarasota | Creative Loafing Tampa | Washington City Paper