Column published in the Chicago Reader
The Straight Dope |
Type of site | Question and answer |
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| Owner | Sun-Times / Straight Dope Publishing |
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| Created by | Cecil Adams (pseudonym) |
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| URL | straightdope.com |
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| Commercial | Yes |
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| Registration | Required only on forum |
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| Launched | 1973; 51 years ago (1973) |
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| Current status | No longer updated |
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The Straight Dope was a question-and-answer newspaper column written under the pseudonym Cecil Adams. Contributions were made by multiple authors, and it was illustrated (also pseudonymously) by Slug Signorino.[1] It was first published in 1973 in the Chicago Reader as well as in print syndication nationally in the United States,[2] and on a website with the same name.
Following the column of June 27, 2018, the column was placed on hiatus, with no decision made regarding its future.[3]
Name and tagline
The column derives its name from the American idiom meaning roughly "the true information; the full story"[4] and covers many subjects, including history, science, old wives' tales, urban legends, and inventions. The column appeared under the tagline: "Fighting ignorance since 1973. (It's taking longer than we thought.)”
Books
Five collections of columns have been published, sometimes referred to as The Straight Dope Cyclopedia of Human Knowledge:
- The Straight Dope (1984)
- More of the Straight Dope (1988)
- Return of the Straight Dope (1994)
- The Straight Dope Tells All (1998)
- Triumph of the Straight Dope (1999)
In addition, the 1993 collection Know It All was published for younger audiences by Cecil's "assistant" Ed Zotti.[5]
Television
In 1996, the A&E Network briefly aired a show based on the column called The Straight Dope, hosted and co-written by comedian Mike Lukas.[6] A podcast has also been released sporadically.
