Straight Dope Archive

What's up with silicon and silicone?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by David
September 9, 1999
Can helicopters do loops and rolls?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Veg
September 7, 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Where does the Vice President of the U.S. live?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
June 3, 1999
Do insects sleep?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex:
June 1, 1999
What's the origin of the Jewish bread "challah"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
May 28, 1999
Do ostriches really bury their heads in the sand?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
May 26, 1999
What is a "quitclaim deed"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ian
May 24, 1999
What's up with "fire and brimstone"? What's brimstone?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
May 20, 1999
What does the pharmacist's symbol "Rx" mean?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill
May 17, 1999
What are naval personnel saluting when they board a vessel?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Monty
May 14, 1999
What's the origin of "son of a gun"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Scurvy Dog-ster
May 12, 1999
When does veal become beef?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
May 10, 1999
What's the point of truck weigh stations?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Jill and Ed
May 7, 1999
What's the origin of "English," the kind you put on a ball?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ian
May 5, 1999
Why do pitchers throw overhand in baseball but underhand in softball?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ian:
May 3, 1999
How much is a gazillion?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
April 28, 1999
What's the purpose of sifting flour?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Lynn, Jill, Lil, and Lar
April 26, 1999
What is alum, and will it make someone's mouth shrink, like in the cartoons?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ken and Jill
April 23, 1999
Why are Europe and Asia considered separate continents? What's a continent, anyway?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Veg and Ian
April 21, 1999
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