 | |
Type of site | Reference pages |
|---|---|
| Owner | The Chicago Reader / The Straight Dope Publishing |
| Created by | Cecil Adams |
| URL | www.straightdope.com |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Required only onforums |
| Launched | 1973 |
| Current status | Active |
"The Straight Dope" is anewspaper column. Its author uses thepen name "Cecil Adams." Readers send questions in to Adams, and he answers them. He often useshumor in his answers.
The firstStraight Dope column was published on February 2, 1973.[1] As of 2013,The Straight Dope was published in theChicago Reader andsyndicated in eight newspapers in theUnited States.[2]
Most reader questions are answered by Cecil Adams. Adams describes himself as "the world's most intelligent human being."[3] He describesThe Straight Dope's goal this way:
| “ | Cecil is trying to eradicate world ignorance. He deals strictly with factual questions. Questions you've always wanted to know the answers to. Questions like: What are the reallyrics to Louie Louie? When theyexecute a guy bylethal injection, do they swab off his arm first? How do theastronauts go to the bathroom inspace? | ” |
The name "The Straight Dope" comes from the Americanidiom meaning roughly "the true information; the full story".[4] The column covers many subjects, includinghistory,science,urban legends,myths, andinventions. The column'smotto is: "Fighting ignorance since 1973 (it's taking longer than we thought)."
The Straight Dope isillustrated bySlug Signorino.[3]
As of 2016,The Straight Dope's website includes all of Adams' new columns, andarchives of his past columns. There are alsoonline forums where users can discuss Adams' columns, as well as many other topics.[5]
To date, Adams has published five collections of his columns, and his "assistant,"Ed Zotti, has published a children's collection in the Adams style,Know It All.[6]
In 1996, theA&E Network briefly aired a show based onThe Straight Dope, hosted and co-written bycomedian Mike Lukas.[7]
A "Straight Dope"podcast was briefly released in November 2009, but was then cancelled.[8]