Straight Dope Archive

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
Is swallowing chewing gum dangerous?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 29, 1985
Was Born Free author Joy Adamson killed by a lion — or murdered?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 29, 1985
Is it healthy literally to "lick your wounds"?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 22, 1985
Why does my body jerk when I'm falling asleep?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 15, 1985
How does the limerick "There was an old man of Nantucket ..." conclude?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 8, 1985
Why do we call it the "bathroom," even when it has no tub?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 3, 1985
Where did Bullwinkle go to college?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
February 15, 1985
Is there a word for the jig you do trying to get around someone on the sidewalk?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
February 15, 1985
What are the long term health effects of marijuana?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
February 8, 1985
Why does the moon appear bigger near the horizon?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 25, 1985
How come I wake up just before the alarm goes off?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 18, 1985
Does average human penis length vary among ethnic groups?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 11, 1985
What's the origin of "kangaroo court"? Is "kangaroo" aborigine for "I don't know"?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 4, 1985
What does "OK" stand for?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 1, 1985
Does LSD cause birth defects?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
December 21, 1984
Is there a pill that can turn water into gasoline?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
December 14, 1984
If I fire a gun while near light speed, will the bullet EXCEED light speed?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
December 7, 1984
Is there any mammal species in which the males breastfeed the young?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 23, 1984
What's the answer to the riddle, "That man's father is my father's son"?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 16, 1984
Do Frank Lloyd Wright's buildings have low ceilings because he was short?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 16, 1984
What's actually cracking when you crack your knuckles?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 9, 1984
Could WWIII be started by a flock of geese showing up on radar?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 2, 1984
Did John Wayne die of cancer caused by a radioactive movie set?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 26, 1984
Do "auto-acupressure" and acupunture work?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 12, 1984
To African-Americans, what does "signifying" mean?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
September 28, 1984
prev 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 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.