Straight Dope Archive

Where does that "1492/ocean blue" thing about Columbus come from? And what was Columbus's deal, anyway?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Gfactor
December 4, 2007
Does NLP work? Is it the basis of Derren Brown's "mind control" act?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by ianzin
November 20, 2007
If dogs can get a dose of bug repellent that lasts a whole month, why can't humans?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
November 20, 2007
Why is "six feet under" the standard depth for burial?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Rico
November 13, 2007
Why are they called "trailers" if they're shown before the movie?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Gfactor
November 6, 2007
How did the Hatfield-McCoy feud end, anyway?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Bricker
October 30, 2007
Does sawing off a shotgun necessarily produce a "sawed-off shotgun"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Bricker
October 23, 2007
What's the story on the curse of Macbeth?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
October 16, 2007
Did anyone really ever get tied to railroad tracks?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Gfactor
October 9, 2007
How did some crime fiction come to be described as "hard-boiled"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Gfactor
October 2, 2007
Can I legally prevent people from putting flyers under my door or on my windshield?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Gfactor
September 25, 2007
Do condoms protect against STDs other than HIV? STD-wise, how risky is oral sex?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Gfactor
September 18, 2007
Is lightning really that dangerous to swimmers? Will my choice of bicycle get me struck by lightning?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Gfactor
September 11, 2007
Do the wrongfully imprisoned get compensation?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Gfactor
September 4, 2007
Where have all the fireflies gone?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
August 28, 2007
What became of Moses's sons?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by CM Keller
August 21, 2007
Is head-butting for real?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Gfactor
August 14, 2007
Why are the bees disappearing?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
May 29, 2007
How does copyright work? (Part 1)
A Straight Dope Staff Report by
November 7, 2006
What's the deal with the prophet Elijah?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
August 15, 2006
How does glue work?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Una
August 1, 2006
Who invented the grand jury?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Gfactor and Bricker
July 18, 2006
How much money do beggars make?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Gfactor
June 27, 2006
What's up with the 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by gfactor
June 20, 2006
What happens when someone "legally dead" shows up alive?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Gfactor
June 13, 2006
Why are red lights used in darkened control rooms and other low-light situations?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Hawk
June 8, 2006
Who invented tampons?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by gfactor
June 6, 2006
In international waters, are you beyond the reach of the law?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by gfactor
May 23, 2006
What accounts for the smell of crushed ants?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
May 9, 2006
Do cemetery plots have expiration dates?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Gfactor
May 2, 2006
Can cops really commandeer cars?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by gfactor
April 25, 2006
Are ants disease-carriers?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
April 20, 2006
What's up with 666, the "mark of the beast"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
April 4, 2006
Was Beethoven unable to hear the applause when the 9th Symphony premiered?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Rico
March 28, 2006
Why do contests say "no purchase required"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Rico
March 21, 2006
Do hens produce more poop than they do eggs?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Una
March 3, 2006
Where is Route 66?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Rico
February 28, 2006
Can animal (including human) manure be used as fuel?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Una
February 21, 2006
How are criminals prevented from profiting from their crimes?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by gfactor
February 14, 2006
What's so great about the Dewey Decimal System?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
January 31, 2006
How do men get sexually transmitted diseases?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Mojave66
January 24, 2006
How did public libraries get started?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
January 17, 2006
My dad's hospitalized with a big bump on his arm - could it be a spider bite?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
December 27, 2005
Is there such a thing as a diplomatic pouch?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Gfactor
December 20, 2005
What happened to the great library of Alexandria?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
December 6, 2005
Why is refreezing food bad? What exactly is freezer burn?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Una
November 29, 2005
How is paper made?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Una
November 22, 2005
What's the story on numerology?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
November 15, 2005
Was Warren Harding inducted into the KKK while president?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by John Corrado
November 8, 2005
What's the story on diplomatic immunity?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Bricker
November 1, 2005
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