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Cecil Adams is the pseudonymous author of The Straight Dope, a popular question and answer column published in The Chicago Reader from 2 February 1973 to 2018. The true identity of Adams, whether a single individual or a group of authors, has remained secret. The Chicago Reader's 1986 trademark filing for the name "Cecil Adams" states that "Cecil Adams does not identify any particular individual but was devised as a fanciful name."[1] As of 2008, Ed Zotti was the editor of the column.[2] Cecil Adams is affectionately known to readers and fans (and sometimes refers to himself) as Uncle Cece.

The column was syndicated in 31 newspapers in the United States and Canada and has been continued as a website.[citation needed]

The aim of the column, and now the website, is to spread general knowledge and everyday rational thinking, using a very strong and characteristically quirky sense of humor - some of it self-deprecating.

Billed as the "World's Smartest Human",[3][4][5] Adams responded to often unusual inquiries with a high degree of humor (often directed against the questioner, sometimes sardonically), and at times carried out exhaustive research into obscure and arcane issues, urban legends, and the like.[citation needed] On more than one occasion, Adams was forced to retract or modify an answer when confronted by "the Teeming Millions" (Adams' term for his readers), often claiming overwork and staff shortages.[citation needed] On rare occasions, Adams made appearances on the Straight Dope's Message Board.[citation needed]

On June 27, 2018, Adams announced that the "Straight Dope" column would be ending after 45 years and over 3,400 columns.

On January 13, 2023, it was announced that Cecil Adams would again be writing a column on The Straight Dope Message Board.[6] The first column, which appeared on the same day, was titled, "Is longtermism the world’s most dangerous belief system?"[7]

Personal details

Adams states that he has "never been photographed", and while there is at least one photo captioned with his name, the image is of Ed Zotti, who fulfilled Adams's publicity engagements.[8] Previous editors include Mike Lenehan and Dave Kehr.

In his columns, Adams has revealed a few details of his purported personal life, including the existence of a Mrs. Adams (the FAQ section on his website states that chance references to "Mrs. Adams" may refer to his mother), that he has a brother-in-law, and that he has either children or dwarves as helpers.[5] He has a brother.[9] He is an accomplished traveler, and currently resides in Chicago's 47th Ward.[10] He is also left-handed[5] and may be balding[11] and colorblind.[12] He mentions having taken a class with Northwestern University English professor Bergen Evans,[13] mentions once working as an electrician's apprentice,[14] and a railroad machinist's helper.[15] He also mentions attending a Catholic school.[16] He is of Irish descent,[17] and relaxes with Pink Floyd and Baileys.[18]

Published works

Adams has published five collections of his The Straight Dope columns:

Zotti has also published a children's collection in The Straight Dope style entitled Know It All.[19] Adams' columns are archived at the Straight Dope website. In 1996, the A&E Network briefly aired a show hosted by comedian Mike Lukas based on the column, also called The Straight Dope.[citation needed]

Over 600 articles have been posted to the site's online archive; some of these contain multiple questions and answers. Also included with the columns are quirky illustrations. Slug Signorino was the regular illustrator for The Straight Dope for forty-two years. In his illustrations, Cecil Adams is often depicted as a large turkey wearing a mortar board or, occasionally, as a man in underwear with a paper bag over his head.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS)". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 30 Aug 2013.
  2. ^ Advance Publication Newsletter; Volume Seventeen, Number 3 Archived 2012-03-20 at the Wayback Machine Penguin Group (USA)
  3. ^ "The Straight Dope Tells All". Penguin Random House. February 24, 1998. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  4. ^ Adams, Cecil (June 16, 2000). "Are jet contrails the latest threat?". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on February 27, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "The Straight Dope: Who is this man called Cecil Adams?". StraightDope.com. The Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  6. ^ "Cecil's back!". 13 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Straight Dope 1/13/2023: Is longtermism the world's most dangerous belief system?". 13 January 2023.
  8. ^ Piper, Paul S. (February 1995). "What makes Cecil Adams the world's greatest reference librarian?". American Libraries. 26 (2): 147. ISSN 0002-9769. OCLC 854299.
  9. ^ Adams, Cecil (17 August 1973). "What is a felo-de-se?". The Straight Dope. Sun-Times Media, LLC. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  10. ^ Adams, Cecil (2010-09-23). "Are Chicago streets swept frequently so the city can collect more fines?". The Straight Dope Chicago. The Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on 2010-09-26. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
  11. ^ Adams, Cecil (1992-08-28). "Does sex make your acne worse?". The Straight Dope. The Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on 2007-05-15. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
  12. ^ Adams, Cecil (1986-03-07). "Who decided red means "stop" and green means "go"?". The Straight Dope. The Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on 2007-05-02. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
  13. ^ Adams, Cecil (2005-10-14). "Why is William Shakespeare considered the greatest English language writer of all time?". The Straight Dope. The Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on 2007-05-03. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
  14. ^ Adams, Cecil (1992-11-20). "How come the U.S. uses 120 volt electricity, not 240 like the rest of the world?". The Straight Dope. The Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on 2007-05-18. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
  15. ^ "Cecil! Tell us about you smashing the building with the crane! - Straight Dope Message Board". Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  16. ^ Adams, Cecil (1996-02-16). "Why is the heart considered the center of love and affection?". The Straight Dope. The Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-09-07.
  17. ^ Adams, Cecil (1993-07-30). "Who are the "black Irish"?". The Straight Dope. The Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on 2008-02-13. Retrieved 2007-10-08.
  18. ^ Adams, Cecil (2010-07-30). "Can binaural beats improve your mood?". The Straight Dope. The Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on 2010-08-02. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
  19. ^ "ISBN 9780345362322 - Know It All!: The Fun Stuff You Never Learned in School".
  20. ^ "The Slug Signorino FAQ". Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2010.

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