Straight Dope Archive

Was naturalist J.J. Audubon really the dauphin who would have become Louis XVII?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 3, 1986
How did "gay" come to mean "homosexual"?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 1, 1986
Why are there holes in the prongs of electrical plugs?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
December 20, 1985
What causes sleep paralysis?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
December 20, 1985
Why do all magazine change-of-address cards go to the same address?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
December 12, 1985
Is it true Thanksgiving was invented by the editor of Harper's Bazaar?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 29, 1985
Did Jesus really exist? And what's with the Shroud of Turin?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 22, 1985
Why do oriental and occidental eyes differ?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 15, 1985
Was Mr. Greenjeans Frank Zappa's father?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 11, 1985
Can you get worms from eating sushi?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 8, 1985
Which boils faster, hot water or cold water?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 8, 1985
When I stir my coffee, why does the sound gradually change pitch?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 8, 1985
What's the story with female circumcision?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 1, 1985
What was the cult TV series "The Prisoner" all about?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 25, 1985
Why do we call it the "john"?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 18, 1985
Can I get cheekbone implants?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 18, 1985
A misogynist hates women. What's the word for someone who hates men?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 11, 1985
Can you open an airliner emergency door while the plane is in mid-air?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 11, 1985
What happened to all the gold Spain got from the New World?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 4, 1985
Are dogs unable to see 2-D images (mirrors, photos, TV)?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
September 27, 1985
Were champagne glasses modeled on the breasts of Madame de Pompadour?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
September 27, 1985
I want to get my nipples pierced. Are there health risks? Plus: sperm trees of Los Angeles
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
September 20, 1985
Why do some people sneeze when going out into bright light?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
September 6, 1985
Why does asparagus make your pee smell funny?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
August 30, 1985
Is chocolate an aphrodisiac?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
August 23, 1985
Is it true the British have abolished punctuation?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
August 23, 1985
What's the purpose of those white squiggles attached to egg yolks?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
August 16, 1985
Which freezes faster, hot water or cold water?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
August 16, 1985
What is the origin of the word "cooties"?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
August 16, 1985
What's the origin of the peace symbol?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
August 9, 1985
Why did they change the name of Cape Kennedy back to Cape Canaveral?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
July 26, 1985
Why do one's loins ache after a session of nonclimactic arousal?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
July 12, 1985
Was there really a Robin Hood?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
July 5, 1985
Was there really a Robin Hood?
By Cecil Adams
July 5, 1985
Whatever happened to the canals of Mars?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
June 28, 1985
Is it possible to recall past lives through hypnosis?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
June 21, 1985
Is it true Coca-Cola once contained cocaine?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
June 14, 1985
Why does the shower curtain blow up and in instead of down and out?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
June 7, 1985
Did Mrs. Sybil Christian of Frisco, Texas, find blobs from space on her lawn?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
May 31, 1985
Can you tan without sun by taking carotene pills?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
May 25, 1985
How did they make those weird lip movements in the old Clutch Cargo cartoon series?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
May 24, 1985
My Nutrasweetened soft drinks make huge mounds of foam! What gives?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
May 17, 1985
What's the origin of the word "hobo"?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
May 10, 1985
Is "cracking your back" to relieve backache a good idea?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
May 10, 1985
What is the largest city park in the U.S.?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
May 3, 1985
Does suppressing the urge to toot endanger one's health?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
April 26, 1985
Does vitamin C prevent colds, cancer, etc.?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
April 26, 1985
Do plants grow better if you talk to them?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
April 19, 1985
How does nitrous oxide work? Is it dangerous?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
April 12, 1985
How can I avoid a holiday hangover?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
April 5, 1985
prev 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 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.