The Straight Dope

Contributions were made by multiple authors, and it was illustrated (also pseudonymously) by Slug Signorino. It was first published in 1973 in the Chicago Reader as well as in print syndication nationally in the United States, and on a website with the same name.

The Straight Dope

Type of site	Question and answer
Owner	Sun-Times / Straight Dope Publishing
Created by	Cecil Adams (pseudonym)
URL	straightdope.com
Commercial	Yes
Registration	Required only on forum
Launched	1973; 51 years ago (1973)
Current status	No longer updated

Following the column of June 27, 2018, the column was placed on hiatus, with no decision made regarding its future.

The column derives its name from the American idiom meaning roughly "the true information; the full story" 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.)”

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.

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. A podcast has also been released sporadically.