Straight Dope Archive

What's better, a wooden cutting board or a plastic one?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Hawk
February 8, 2001
Why do we have five digits on each limb?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
February 7, 2001
Are there nine Eskimo words for snow (revisited)?
By Cecil Adams
February 2, 2001
Does any animal besides humans commit suicide?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
February 1, 2001
Will masturbation shrink the penis?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
January 30, 2001
What's up with the "cocaine mummies"?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 26, 2001
Why is oxygen usually in the form O2?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Hawk
January 25, 2001
Traditionally Eskimos ate only meat and fish. Why didn't they get scurvy?
By Cecil Adams
January 19, 2001
What's the scoop on Edgar Cayce, the "Sleeping Prophet"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by David
January 16, 2001
What's the story on that weird medieval cult, the flatulents? Plus: do the Chinese use Chinese water torture?
By Cecil Adams
January 12, 2001
Why does the moon look different near the equator?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Chronos
January 11, 2001
What does "SOS" mean?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
January 11, 2001
Do cats have poison claws?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
January 9, 2001
How does a siphon work?
By Cecil Adams
January 5, 2001
What's the song "Yankee Doodle" all about?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
January 4, 2001
Would Frankenstein's monster be possible today?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Son of Dex
January 1, 2001
How do I go about making a voodoo doll?
By Cecil Adams
December 29, 2000
What's the origin of the barber pole?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by slythe
December 28, 2000
What's the relationship between TV's Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Scott
December 26, 2000
Paper or plastic? Plus: more on fish farts
By Cecil Adams
December 22, 2000
Does everyone have pinworms?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Lynn
December 19, 2000
How do caterpillars have sex?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
December 15, 2000
What's the story on "ganzfeld" experiments?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by David
December 14, 2000
Is there a face on Mars?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by David
December 12, 2000
Are deadly germs the latest terrorist weapon?
By Cecil Adams
December 8, 2000
Is boiling water in a microwave dangerous?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by David
December 7, 2000
Are hippos the most dangerous animal?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
December 6, 2000
Did the popular image of Santa Claus originate in a Coca-Cola ad campaign?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Euty
December 5, 2000
Are horses really made into glue?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Lynn
November 30, 2000
Why did James Bond want his martinis shaken, not stirred?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Manny
November 28, 2000
What are the seven basic literary plots?
By Cecil Adams
November 24, 2000
Can laser pointers damage your eyes?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by slythe
November 23, 2000
Are birds immune to hot pepper, enabling them to eat vast amounts and spread the seeds?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by George Angehr
November 22, 2000
Why do your legs tremble uncontrollably sometimes when rock climbing?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
November 21, 2000
Who invented the cocktail umbrella--and why?
By Cecil Adams
November 17, 2000
Would '50s marathon runner Jim Peters have set a world record if he had finished the race in which he collapsed just short of the line?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
November 16, 2000
Did a murderer escape punishment using the "Twinkie defense"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
November 15, 2000
Who invented Hell?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by David
November 14, 2000
Do fish fart? Plus: angels dancing on the head of a pin (cont.)
By Cecil Adams
November 10, 2000
How are Jesuit colleges different from other schools?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Alphagene
November 9, 2000
What's the story behind Phil Collins' song "In the Air Tonight"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Songbird
November 8, 2000
How do they figure the distance between celestial bodies?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Chronos
November 7, 2000
Is the Chinese word for "crisis" a combination of "danger" and "opportunity"?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 3, 2000
Have studies proven that prayer can help heal the sick?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by David
November 2, 2000
How far can ants see?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
November 1, 2000
In "A Boy Named Sue," what's Johnny Cash saying during the bleeped out part?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Songbird
October 31, 2000
I plan to destroy the moon. What effect would this have on the earth?
By Cecil Adams
October 27, 2000
How do rockets work in the vacuum of space?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Karen
October 26, 2000
What's with news reports about things traveling faster than light?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Karen
October 25, 2000
Why are poisonous bugs brightly colored?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
October 24, 2000
prev 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 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@chicagoreader.com.

Copyright © 2013 Sun-Times Media, LLC.