Straight Dope Archive

Are subliminal messages secretly embedded in advertisements?
A Straight Dope Classic by
June 26, 1987
What are sweetbreads really?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
June 19, 1987
Why do we drive on the parkway and park on the driveway?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
June 19, 1987
What does the "K" in K mart stand for?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
June 19, 1987
Is it true an elephant never forgets?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
June 12, 1987
Could visitors once go into the Statue of Liberty's arm?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
June 12, 1987
Why are there so many names for Germany, AKA Deutschland, Allemagne, etc.?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
June 5, 1987
It is true all the vitamins in potatoes, apples, etc., are in the skin?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
May 29, 1987
What is a mojo?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
May 15, 1987
Why do your fingers and toes wrinkle in the bathtub?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
May 15, 1987
Are ships' captains allowed to marry people at sea?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
May 8, 1987
Why are clocks in ads always set at 8:20?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
May 8, 1987
Are cats and dogs really color-blind? How do they know?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
May 1, 1987
What's the connection between Easter and rabbits?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
May 1, 1987
On maps, why is north always up?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
April 24, 1987
Why does the same side of the moon always face the earth?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
April 10, 1987
What's the origin of "the whole nine yards"?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
April 10, 1987
How come a woman shaving her legs wears out a man's razor so fast?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
April 3, 1987
Are the earth's poles going to shift soon?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
April 3, 1987
Does Mrs. Mantis bite Mr. Mantis's head off during The Act?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 27, 1987
Why do theaters warn audiences when a strobe is used in a play?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 27, 1987
Why do hot dogs come 10 to a pack while buns are 8 to a pack?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 20, 1987
Do things get crazy when the moon is full?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 13, 1987
What are the glass squares on either side of the presidential podium?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 6, 1987
How come February has only 28 days?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
February 27, 1987
Why is, um, fecal matter brown?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
February 27, 1987
Did dinosaurs have a separate brain in their behinds?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
February 20, 1987
Was the swastika actually an old Native American symbol?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
February 20, 1987
Did Hitler have only one testicle?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
February 20, 1987
Did New York water pressure drop due to toilet flushing after the Super Bowl?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
February 13, 1987
There's the loud pedal and the soft pedal, but what's the THIRD piano pedal for?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
February 13, 1987
Will pheromones make you irresistible to the opposite sex?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 30, 1987
What's with those "John 3:16" signs that people hold up at football games?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 23, 1987
Why do some cars seem to drive down the road sideways?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 16, 1987
Is alcohol in gasoline good or bad? Is there a difference between ethanol and methanol?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 16, 1987
Why do outhouse doors have half-moons on them?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 9, 1987
What is, or was, the purpose of men's neckties?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 2, 1987
In medicine, what's the difference between an -ectomy, an -ostomy, and an -otomy?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
December 19, 1986
Why is the sound of fingernails scraping a blackboard so annoying?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
December 12, 1986
Does use of The Pill delay menopause?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
December 5, 1986
Can you write a check on any old piece of paper?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
December 5, 1986
What's the difference between apple juice and apple cider?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 21, 1986
How did salt and pepper become the standard table spices?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 14, 1986
Is the Molson's (Canadian) beer sold in the U.S. watered down?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 7, 1986
Do "close door" buttons on elevators ever actually work?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 7, 1986
Did Marie Antoinette really say "let them eat cake"?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 24, 1986
Are turkeys so stupid they will look up in the sky when it rains and drown?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 17, 1986
Do manufacturers put blood plasma into hair shampoo?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 17, 1986
Will tanning your privates in a salon cause radiation damage?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 17, 1986
Why is there a "33" on Rolling Rock beer labels?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 10, 1986
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