Straight Dope Archive

Yiddish, shmiddish--why do we repeat a word but start it with "shm-"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
February 12, 2002
Are cobwebs made by spiders?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by George, Doug, and Ken
February 7, 2002
Did Bugs Bunny appear in a racist cartoon during World War II?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Eutychus
February 5, 2002
Why are there no top-quality American cigars?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by bibliophage
January 31, 2002
Why is it easier to balance on a moving bike than a non-moving one?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Karen Lingel
January 29, 2002
How does a particle accelerator work?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Karen
January 24, 2002
Did humans descend from "aquatic apes"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by bibliophage
January 22, 2002
Is it possible to create a science fiction-type force field?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Karen
January 17, 2002
Who wrote the Bible? (Part 5)
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex and Eutychus
January 14, 2002
Who wrote the Bible? (Part 4)
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex and Eutychus
January 10, 2002
Who wrote the Bible? (Part 3)
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex and Eutychus
January 9, 2002
Who wrote the Bible? (Part 2)
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex and Euty
January 8, 2002
Who wrote the Bible? (Part 1)
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex and Eutychus
January 7, 2002
Why does water make the Wicked Witch of the West melt?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
January 1, 2002
Was the "Confederate flag" only the flag of the Confederate navy?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ken and John Corrado
December 27, 2001
What's the origin of "sophomore"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by bibliophage
December 26, 2001
Does your dandruff contain your DNA?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Hawk
December 25, 2001
What causes chocolate to whiten?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Karen
December 20, 2001
Is eating gold and silver food garnishes bad for you?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ken
December 19, 2001
What's the origin of "pumpernickel"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ken
December 18, 2001
What's the origin of "spitting image"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ken
December 13, 2001
How high can birds and bees fly?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug and George
December 11, 2001
What's the origin of "Good Samaritan"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex and Euty
December 4, 2001
What kind of ape was Tarzan raised by?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
November 29, 2001
Is turkey (the bird) named after Turkey (the country) or vice versa?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by bibliophage
November 27, 2001
In the Bible, who were the "giant sons of God"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
November 20, 2001
What are the rules for declaring a jihad?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by John Corrado
November 13, 2001
Why do pregnant women get morning sickness?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by John Corrado
November 8, 2001
Who wrote the theme songs for those old Warner Brothers cartoons?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by John Corrado
November 6, 2001
Does cedar actually keep away moths?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
November 6, 2001
What's the "dew point" all about?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ken and Ed
November 1, 2001
Were there originally two endings to the Book of Job?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
October 30, 2001
Does "Indian" derive from Columbus's description of Native Americans as "una gente in Dios"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by George
October 25, 2001
Shouldn't Greenland be known as Iceland and vice versa?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Bibliophage
October 23, 2001
How likely are poisonous spider bites?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
October 18, 2001
What really happened to the Mary Celeste?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by John Corrado
October 16, 2001
What's the origin of "a penny for your thoughts"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by John Corrado
October 11, 2001
Is the black hole of Calcutta a myth?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by John Corrado
October 9, 2001
What is the purpose of goose bumps?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Ken
October 4, 2001
In "Un Chien Andalou," is a real eyeball being sliced?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Euty
October 2, 2001
Why do we say "God bless you" after a sneeze?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Songbird
September 27, 2001
Why do men take their hats off to show respect but women don't?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Songbird
September 25, 2001
What's the purpose of bags of water hanging in restaurants?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
September 20, 2001
What do the four symbols on Led Zeppelin's 4th album mean?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Songbird, singing in a tree by the brook
September 18, 2001
Why don't spiders get stuck to their own webs?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
September 13, 2001
Do honeybees realize that if they sting you they'll die?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Doug
September 5, 2001
At what age are you least likely to die?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
September 4, 2001
How did cheese originate?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Uncle Beer
August 30, 2001
What's the origin of "yellow-bellied"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Dex
August 28, 2001
What's the origin of "primrose path"?
A Straight Dope Staff Report by Gaudere
August 23, 2001
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