The straight dope

the long version

"Once referred to as 'possibly the world's greatest reference librarian' (American Libraries, February 1995, page 146), Cecil Adams has been answering questions via his alternative newspaper column, 'The Straight Dope', since 1973. This online archive includes most of the questions and answers from the past quarter century. Entertaining and informative, Cecil over the years has answered questions like: Why do wintergreen Life Savers spark when crunched? What are the real lyrics to "Louie Louie"? and How do you become a United Nations weapons inspector? The archive is keyword searchable, and the last four years of columns can be browsed by date."--"Best Free Reference Web Sites 2004," RUSA Quarterly, Fall 2004; reviewed March 6, 2004.