Straight Dope Archive

Why do we twitch while falling asleep?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
April 10, 1981
Do women have wet dreams?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
April 3, 1981
Is exposure to cosmic rays during cross-country flight dangerous?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 20, 1981
What are the lyrics to Walt Kelly's classic carol, "Deck Us All With Boston Charlie"?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 20, 1981
What is required to be legally married?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 20, 1981
Why was the pirate flag called the "Jolly Roger"?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 13, 1981
Is it legal to pay a big debt in small change?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 6, 1981
How are worn coins taken out of circulation?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 6, 1981
Is there any historical basis for the events of the Jewish Exodus?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 3, 1981
What is a "Swiss bank account"?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
February 27, 1981
Who decided the day should be divided into 24 hours?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
February 20, 1981
Why did Lincoln and Douglas debate? The state legislature chose senators then!
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
February 13, 1981
Why do men keep their bottom vest buttons unbuttoned?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 30, 1981
In movie credits, what are the "gaffer" and the "best boy"?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 30, 1981
Is it warmer at the top of tall buildings?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 9, 1981
Do air fresheners work by numbing out your nose?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
December 19, 1980
What if the U.S. president and vice president-elect die before being sworn in?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
December 5, 1980
Was Jesus literally a big man in his day?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 21, 1980
4 out of 5 dentists recommend sugarless gum. What does the 5th recommend?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 21, 1980
Why the fancy swirls inside the back cover of a pocket watch?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 21, 1980
4 out of 5 dentists recommend sugarless gum. What does the 5th recommend?
By Cecil Adams
November 21, 1980
Why does every city seem to have a Yellow Cab company?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 31, 1980
How does body hair know it's been cut and grow back?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 24, 1980
Is my household smoke detector emitting radioactive rays?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 24, 1980
In a right-handed world, why is a man's billfold pocket on the left side?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 17, 1980
Why can't I revive the "glow light" I bought at a concert?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 3, 1980
What's the deal with Dungeons and Dragons?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
September 26, 1980
What is sea level?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
September 5, 1980
If I hadn't killed 52 flies as a child, how many descendants would they have had by now?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
August 29, 1980
What do artsy film critics mean by "mise-en-scene"?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
August 22, 1980
Why is there no Q on the telephone dial?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
August 8, 1980
Why do so many cities have a "Union Station"?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
July 29, 1980
Could we conserve gasoline by putting more air in our tires?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
June 27, 1980
Why do Eskimo people stay there?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
April 18, 1980
To save energy, should you turn lights off or leave them on?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
April 11, 1980
What does the G in G-string stand for?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 28, 1980
What color were dinosaurs?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 21, 1980
Why are saxophones made in different keys?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
March 7, 1980
Can yogas swallow a cloth and have it come out the (urk) other end?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
February 29, 1980
How can a hen sit on an egg without scrambling it?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
February 15, 1980
What is the "propylene glycol alginate" found in salad dressings?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 1, 1980
Why are thin wires strung along the tops of high-voltage transmission towers?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
January 1, 1980
What if you fell into a tube through the earth?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 30, 1979
What loathsome disease did King Herod die of?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 23, 1979
If I dug up a body, what would it look (and smell) like?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
November 2, 1979
Do some Irish names come from Spanish Armada survivors?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 19, 1979
How does a bullet or knife kill somebody?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 5, 1979
Whatever happened to that relic of the 60s, body paints?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
October 5, 1979
In baseball, why is the shortstop called the shortstop?
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
September 28, 1979
Why does Heinz ketchup say "57 varieties"? I only see one variety
A Straight Dope Classic by Cecil Adams
August 17, 1979
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