STUPID QUESTION ™

By John Ruch

Copyright 1998-2008. All rights reserved.

 

SMART ANSWERS to your STUPID QUESTIONS

 

Stupid Question ™ is now defunct. Enjoy the column archives.

(Archives are still being updated as time allows.)

 

May 23, 2005: Death rays

May 16, 2005: Execution as homicide

May 9, 2005: Alan Smithee

May 2, 2005: Trial by combat

April 11, 2005: State names

April 4, 2005: Pirate flags

March 28, 2005: “Bulldozer”

March 21, 2005: Toll House morsels

March 14, 2005: Explosion and implosion

March 7, 2005: Victorian crime slang

Feb. 28, 2005: Selection of new pope

Feb. 21, 2005: Woman pope

Feb. 14, 2005: Mammoth meat

Feb. 7, 2005: Pine, fir, spruce

Jan. 31, 2005: Tokyo Rose

Jan. 24, 2005: Tsunamis

Jan. 16, 2005: “I hate white rabbits”

Jan. 10, 2005: Asphalt vs. concrete

Sept. 13, 2004: Planets outside the solar system

Aug. 30, 2004: Trojan horse

Aug. 23, 2004: Bats and flying foxes

Aug. 16, 2004: US-Soviet team-ups

Aug. 9, 2004: Batteries dying in cold

Aug. 2, 2004: “Jack”

July 19, 2004: “Hail-fellow-well-met”

July 12, 2004: Dildos

July 5, 2004: Sleep paralysis

June 28, 2004: Purple Heart

June 21, 2004: English gas prices

June 14, 2004: Dead president stamps

June 7, 2004: Urinating on jellyfish stings

May 24, 2004: “Gedunk”

May 17, 2004: Insect metamorphosis

May 10, 2004: Squaring the circle

May 3, 2004: “Mojo Pin”

April 12, 2004: Big Bang

April 5, 2004: “Herstory”

March 29, 2004: Spring-Heeled Jack and Jersey Devil

March 22, 2004: UPC label

March 15, 2004: Keith Richard or Keith Richards

March 1, 2004: Celebrities dying in threes

Feb. 23, 2004: Second Amendment

Feb. 9, 2004: Ambrose Bierce

Feb. 4, 2004: Burning at the stake

Jan. 26, 2004: Kerry, Bush and Skull & Bones

Jan. 19, 2004: Ringing ears

Jan. 12, 2004: Marvel Comics No-Prize

Dec. 15, 2003: Fastnet ’79/“We Are 138”

Nov. 24, 2003: Forgotten magic tricks

Nov. 3, 2003: Polyhedral dice

Oct. 20, 2003: Antichrist candidates

Oct. 13, 2003: Confederate presidential election

Oct. 6, 2003: “Cum” and “come”

Sept. 29, 2003: “Real” killer of Nicole Brown Simpson

Sept. 22, 2003: “Jimmy crack corn”

Sept. 15, 2003: Song fade-out

Sept. 8, 2003: Pacemaker recycling

Sept. 1, 2003: “Warpath” theme music

Aug. 25, 2003: Pineapple as welcome symbol

Aug. 18, 2003: Game show contestants with disabilities

Aug. 1, 2003: Asbestos

July 24, 2003: Lost luggage store

July 17, 2003: “Davy Jones’ locker”/“Swimmingly”

July 10, 2003: Who ran against wartime presidents

July 3, 2003: Interracial marriage and gay marriage

June 26, 2003: Corked bats

June 19, 2003: Albinism

June 12, 2003: “Peter out”

June 5, 2003: “Short shrift”/“Tadaa”

May 29, 2003: Real-life Frankenstein

May 22, 2003: Music and math

May 15, 2003: King Arthur invented by criminal

May 8, 2003: “Dead/lame ducks”

May 1, 2003: Pink elephants

April 24, 2003: Monsters with outstretched arms

April 17, 2003: “In like Flynn”

April 10, 2003: Lincoln’s corpse stolen

April 3, 2003: Fart artists

March 27, 2003: Perpetual motion

March 20, 2003: Presidents: Left-handed and nicest graves

March 13, 2003: “Shindig”

March 6, 2003: “Hunky-dory”

Feb. 27, 2003: Singing sand

Feb. 20, 2003: Bell-bottoms

Feb. 13, 2003: “Jumbo”

Feb. 6, 2003: Travel without citizenship

Jan. 30, 2003: Shriners and Islam

Jan. 23, 2003: Jugging for cats

Jan. 16, 2003: Mummy wheat

Jan. 9, 2003: Wind

Jan. 2, 2003: Owl as wisdom symbol

Dec. 26, 2002: “Road,” “street,” “avenue” and “lane”

Dec. 19, 2002: “Made from scratch”

Dec. 5, 2002: “Greensleeves” becoming a Christmas carol

Nov. 28, 2002: Aurora audibility

Nov. 21, 2002: Seedless fruit/“Fucking A”

Nov. 14, 2002: Burning crosses of KKK and Methodists

Nov. 7, 2002: Crows collecting shiny objects

Oct. 31, 2002: “Buck naked”

Oct. 24, 2002: Emergency Broadcast System on Sept. 11

Oct. 17, 2002: Naming hurricanes

Oct. 10, 2002: Saddam Hussein referred to by first name

Oct. 3, 2002: Shanghaied sailors

Sept. 26, 2002: Prison islands

Sept. 19, 2002: “Four-flusher”

Sept. 12, 2002: Quadraphonic sound

Sept. 5, 2002: Movie popularity measurement

Aug. 29, 2002: Knocking on wood

Aug. 22, 2002: “Jesus H. Christ”/“Break a leg”

Aug. 15, 2002: “Editor-in-chief”

Aug. 8, 2002: Japanese sword sharpness

Aug. 1, 2002: Small-town pro football

July 25, 2002: Dalmatians on fire trucks

July 18, 2002: “REO Speedwagon”

July 11, 2002: Chippendale, the Chippendales and Chip and Dale

July 4, 2002: Teen teams in mystery novels

June 27, 2002: Black/white rhinos as species, not races

June 20, 2002: Pistachio nuts dyed red/Family trees

June 13, 2002: Figuring out family trees

June 6, 2002: Geese flying in V

May 30, 2002: “OK”

May 23, 2002: Tornado hits skyscraper and nuclear power plant

May 16, 2002: Tides

May 9, 2002: Antarctica ownership

May 2, 2002: “Blow job”

April 26, 2002: “I Don’t Like Mondays” killer

April 18, 2002: Leg-crossing

April 11, 2002: Pockets

April 4, 2002: Registering hands as deadly weapons

March 28, 2002: Federal Reserve System

March 21, 2002: Def Leppard’s “Gunter glieben glauten globen”

March 14, 2002: Meteoric dust

March 7, 2002: Whiskey companies during Prohibition

Feb. 28, 2002: Alphabetical order

Feb. 21, 2002: Carrier pigeons

Feb. 14, 2002: Benjamin Franklin and kinky sex

Feb. 7, 2002: “Pussycat”

Jan. 31, 2002: Guantanamo Bay Naval Base origin

Jan. 24, 2002: Mothman

Jan. 17, 2002: Train engines backward/“Flea markets”

Jan. 10, 2002: Hijacking planes to Cuba

Jan. 3, 2002: “Flea markets”

Dec. 27, 2001: “Speak now or forever hold your peace”

Dec. 20, 2001: AD and BC

Dec. 13, 2001: Rear-view mirrors

Dec. 6, 2001: Colonial smallpox vaccine

Nov. 29, 2001: “The butler did it”

Nov. 21, 2001: Lake Erie monster

Nov. 15, 2001: Racehorse names

Nov. 8, 2001: State capitals uncool

Nov. 1, 2001: Toad-licking

Oct. 25, 2001: Belly dancing and Islam

Oct. 18, 2001: Messages in bottles

Oct. 11, 2001: Exorcism

Oct. 4, 2001: McDonald’s hamburger sales

Sept. 27, 2001: Animal rape

Sept. 20, 2001: Human tails

Sept. 13, 2001: Last names

Sept. 6, 2001: Reusing the blood of the dead

Aug. 30, 2001: 24 hours

Aug. 23, 2001: Robbing the mail train

Aug. 16, 2001: “Midget” birth length

Aug. 9, 2001: “Deadpan”

Aug. 2, 2001: Coins thrown in fountains

July 26, 2001: Bugs attracted to lights

July 19, 2001: Poisonous pufferfish sushi

July 12, 2001: Sex in space

July 5, 2001: No reverse microwave

June 28, 2001: Hair turning gray

June 21, 2001: Sexed bicycles

June 14, 2001: French Foreign Legion

June 7, 2001: King Arthur

May 31, 2001: “Shampoo”

May 24, 2001: “Book” and “tome”

May 17, 2001: “More than one way to skin a cat”/“Stat”

May 11, 2001: Man in the Iron Mask

May 10, 2001: “Cold”

May 3, 2001: “Mayday”

April 26, 2001: Yawning contagious

April 19, 2001: “Ketchup” and “catsup”

April 12, 2001: Trees appearing bluish on a distant hillside

March 29, 2001: IIII instead of IV on clocks

March 22, 2001: Alien abduction

March 15, 2001: “Fourth estate”

March 8, 2001: Bird droppings white

March 1, 2001: Fraternities as Greek

Feb. 22, 2001: Hair shirts

Feb. 15, 2001: “Jesus”

Feb. 8, 2001: Satanism and Faith-Based Initiative

Feb. 1, 2001: Marshmallows

Jan. 25, 2001: Voiceprint machines

Jan. 18, 2001: Cabooses

Jan. 4, 2001: Superman in World War II

Dec. 28, 2000: New millennium 2000 or 2001

Dec. 21, 2000: Cats purring

Dec. 14, 2000: Sea-Monkeys

Dec. 7, 2000: Roman math

Nov. 30, 2000: Double cousins and half-siblings

Nov. 23, 2000: Stainless steel as odor remover

Nov. 16, 2000: Albums released on Tuesdays

Nov. 9, 2000: Legal cocaine

Nov. 2, 2000: “Cocktail”

Oct. 26, 2000: “Grease” censorship

Oct. 19, 2000: Grauman’s Chinese Theatre star prints

Oct. 12, 2000: Lava lamps

Oct. 5, 2000: Skull & Bones and George W. Bush

Sept. 28, 2000: Tomatoes as poisonous

Sept. 21, 2000: “Murphy’s Law”

Sept. 14, 2000: “BFE”

Sept. 7, 2000: “Cheers”

Aug. 31, 2000: “Dutch uncle”

Aug. 24, 2000: “Downs” in horse track names

Aug. 17, 2000: “Peg” as “Margaret” nickname

Aug. 10, 2000: Gulf War friendly fire deaths

Aug. 3, 2000: Ex-presidents serving again

July 27, 2000: The mullet

July 20, 2000: “86”

July 13, 2000: Anchors

July 6, 2000: “Scot-free”

June 29, 2000: Uses for an entire buffalo

June 22, 2000: Half-and-half not spoiling

June 15, 2000: Pets allergic to humans

June 8, 2000: Civil War urine gunpowder

June 1, 2000: Drinking Birds toy

May 25, 2000: Dogs playing poker painting

May 18, 2000: Romanization of Asian words

May 11, 2000: “Giving the finger/bird”

May 4, 2000: “Right” and “Left” as political terms

April 27, 2000: Witness protection program

April 20, 2000: Milk-drinking

April 6, 2000: “Bachelor”

March 30, 2000: Who makes $25,000

March 23, 2000: Space shuttle upside down

March 16, 2000: “Macbeth” curses

March 9, 2000: Fans heating up air

March 2, 2000: Livestock sticks

Feb. 24, 2000: Red soda

Feb. 17, 2000: “Yankee Rose” in Satanic Bible

Feb. 10, 2000: Moon name

Feb. 3, 2000: Housewarming parties

Jan. 27, 2000: Public housing door color

Jan. 20, 2000: Sea gulls not on sea

Jan. 13, 2000: Cheese dyed yellow

Jan. 6, 2000: How Sun burns

Jan. 4, 2000: “Bangs”

Dec. 30, 1999: Percentage of humans ever to live who are alive for new millennium

Dec. 23, 1999: Morton Salt motto/“Three sheets to the wind”

Dec. 16, 1999: Sunshine rays appear to fan out

Dec. 9, 1999: English muffins, Brazil nuts, French toast, Italian dressing in home countries

Dec. 2, 1999: “Three sheets to the wind”/Chinese water torture

Nov. 25, 1999: Heart symbol

Nov. 18, 1999: Chinese water torture

Nov. 11, 1999: Urination with defecation but not vice-versa/“Whole nine yards”

Nov. 4, 1999: Lie detection

Oct. 28, 1999: Trick-or-treating

Oct. 21, 1999: Plastic pink flamingos

Oct. 14, 1999: “Whole nine yards”

Oct. 7, 1999: Fallout shelters

Sept. 30, 1999: Singers losing accents

Sept. 23, 1999: Objects in mirror closer than they appear

Sept. 16, 1999: “Hoosier”

Sept. 9, 1999: “Grand”

Sept. 2, 1999: Caesar salad

Aug. 26, 1999: Gap-front toilet seats/Friday the 13th

Aug. 19, 1999: Dead roaches on backs

Aug. 12, 1999: Friday the 13th

Aug. 5, 1999: Why 95 degrees hot if body temperature is 98.6/US and Canadian coins the same size

July 29, 1999: Church steeples as pagan

July 22, 1999: Bounty hunters

July 15, 1999: Revolving doors

July 8, 1999: Canadian sweepstakes test/Americans driving on right, British on left

July 1, 1999: Tunnels of Love

June 24, 1999: MTV theme

June 17, 1999: Ice cream headaches

June 10, 1999: US and Canadian coins the same size

June 3, 1999: “Frog,” “limey,” “wop,” “dago”

May 27, 1999: Sloppy handwriting on prescriptions

May 20, 1999: Americans driving on right, British on left

May 13, 1999: Moon ownership

May 6, 1999: Farts flammable, burps not/Animal orgasms

April 29, 1999: Decaffeinization

April 22, 1999: Female animal orgasms

April 15, 1999: Hair “memory”/“D’oh!”/Person-in-barrel

April 8, 1999: Captain going down with ship

April 1, 1999: “D’oh!”

March 25, 1999: Hand hurts while crying

March 18, 1999: Caesar Rodney quarter

March 11, 1999: “Saving Private Ryan” Nazi dialogue

March 4, 1999: American accents

Feb. 25, 1999: Cheap TVs buzzing

Feb. 18, 1999: Old wine

Feb. 11, 1999: Empire State Building weight

Feb. 4, 1999: Hibernating bears’ urine

Jan. 28, 1999: Prime time in different time zones

Jan. 21, 1999: Swearing on a Bible

Jan. 14, 1999: Battery names

Jan. 7, 1999: “Soap opera”

Dec. 31, 1998: Pool tables returning cue ball/Person-in-barrel

Dec. 24, 1998: Sunlight causing sneezing

Dec. 17, 1998: Shortest day doesn’t have earliest sunset

Dec. 12, 1998: Polish jokes

Dec. 3, 1998: 700 Club

Nov. 26, 1998: College football game attendance

Nov. 19, 1998: Women menstruating at same time

Nov. 12, 1998: Traffic worse on Fridays

Nov. 5, 1998: Facial hair/Person-in-barrel

Oct. 28, 1998: Water doesn’t burn

Oct. 22, 1998: Poor people wearing barrels

Oct. 15, 1998: Snooze alarms set to odd times

Oct. 8, 1998: Breast implants

Oct. 1, 1998: Gas prices set at one-tenth of cent

Sept. 24, 1998: Football fields oriented north-south

Sept. 17, 1998: Great Wall of China as visible from space

Sept. 10, 1998: Salt/grease cravings after booze

Sept. 3, 1998: Alley cats dirty, wild cats not

Aug. 27, 1998: Watches in ads set to 10:10

Aug. 20, 1998: No toys in cereal boxes

Aug. 13, 1998: Black skin tanning

Aug. 6, 1998: Glow-in-the-dark products

July 30, 1998: Swallowing gum

July 23, 1998: Los Angeles transit system

July 16, 1998: Glow-in-the-dark necklaces

July 9, 1998: Comets hitting Earth

July 2, 1998: Corpse preservation

June 25, 1998: Keith Richards’ blood transfusions

 

 

Stupid Question™ contents are for informational purposes only. Readers are encouraged to think for themselves and act at their own risk.

 

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