Straight Dope Archive

Can helicopters do loops and rolls?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Veg
September 7, 1999
What's the deal with witches and broomsticks?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
September 3, 1999
Why don't snakes die right away after I cut them in half?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
September 1, 1999
Was the Indian who shed a tear in that anti-pollution commercial really Italian?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Euty
August 30, 1999
Was McDonaldland plagiarized from the old "H. R. Pufnstuf" kids' TV show?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
August 27, 1999
Why are "soap operas" called that?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Veg
August 27, 1999
What's the deal with tumbleweeds?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
August 25, 1999
Do female turtles shed one tear for each egg they lay?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
August 23, 1999
Has a guy been stuck in the Paris airport since 1988 for lack of the right papers?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
August 20, 1999
What's the difference between a lawyer and an attorney?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by David B
August 20, 1999
Do cicadas spend seven years underground before emerging?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
August 18, 1999
Why won't two pieces of glass slide against one another?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by David
August 16, 1999
Will the quinine in tonic water prevent malaria?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
August 13, 1999
What is down, exactly? What's up?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Karen
August 13, 1999
Why is dirt brown?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
August 11, 1999
Is it possible to do "astral traveling" while sleeping?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
August 9, 1999
Do old or cheap sunglasses increase the risk of eye damage from ultraviolet rays?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
August 6, 1999
What's the difference between hail, sleet, and freezing rain?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
August 6, 1999
Who was the "Emperor of San Francisco"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Songbird
August 4, 1999
Why does water cause rust?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ken
August 2, 1999
Did Jesus have siblings?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
July 30, 1999
Why do you use salt to melt ice in the winter but freeze homemade ice cream in the summer?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
July 30, 1999
Where does balsa wood come from?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Lynn
July 30, 1999
How come power boats have the steering wheel on the right side?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
July 28, 1999
What causes "watermelon snow"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
July 26, 1999
Why can't we use a giant magnifying glass to convert salt water to fresh water?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
July 23, 1999
How did the moon=green cheese myth start?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
July 23, 1999
What does "full grain leather" mean?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
July 23, 1999
Which soft drinks have the most and least caffeine?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
July 21, 1999
Why can't we regenerate limbs like other species?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug replies:
July 19, 1999
Should you cut up six-pack rings so they don't choke sea birds?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
July 16, 1999
What's the origin of the term "jaywalking"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dogster
July 16, 1999
Photocopy residue seems to take the skin off my fingertips. Is it toxic?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
July 14, 1999
What's the origin of army dog tags?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Songbird
July 12, 1999
Did the U.S. Civil War create 500,000 morphine addicts?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
July 9, 1999
Why are the star and crescent symbols of Islam?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Chip
July 9, 1999
How many dimensions are there and what are they?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
July 6, 1999
Can one side of a duck's brain sleep while the other half is awake?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
July 2, 1999
Why is there a worm in bottles of tequila?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
July 2, 1999
What's the difference between bourbon and whiskey?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
July 2, 1999
Is it true many New England cats have extra paws because Boston ships' captains considered them lucky?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
June 29, 1999
Update: Did Thomas Jefferson father children by his slave mistress?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
June 25, 1999
Can magnets alleviate pain?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
June 18, 1999
Can stainless steel and running water remove the smell of garlic?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
June 18, 1999
Why do dogs circle before lying down?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
June 16, 1999
If I had the organ that makes adrenaline removed, would I stop getting nervous?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
June 14, 1999
What is consciousness?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
June 11, 1999
Does the soft drink Dr Pepper contain prunes?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
June 10, 1999
What's the busiest airport in the world?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Veg
June 7, 1999
What's the difference between yams and sweet potatoes?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
June 4, 1999
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