Triumph of the Straight Dope

Why do parachute jumpers yell “Geronimo”?Is it aerodynamically impossible for bumblebees to fly?Will watching too much TV ruin your eyes?Fresh from the popular newspaper column by CECIL ADAMS!WHAT IS CECIL ADAMS’S IQ?”Do you want it in scientific notation? Little Ed, get out the slide rule.”–Cecil AdamsFor more than a quarter of a century Cecil Adams has been courageously attempting to lift the veil of ignorance surrounding the modern world.  Now, in his fifth book, he takes yet another stab, dissecting such classic conundrums as–If you swim less than an hour after eating, will you get cramps and die?–What’s the difference between a Looney Tune and a Merrie Melody?–Can you see a Munchkin committing suicide in The Wizard of Oz?–Was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre based on actual events?–Did medieval lords really have “the right of the first night”?And much more!THE CRITICS: STILL RAVING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS!”Trenchant, witty answers to the great imponderables.”–Denver Post