The Straight Dope 08/30/2002

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The Straight Dope -- By Cecil Adams
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THE STRAIGHT DOPE 08/30/2002

Dear Cecil:

Did investors really jump to their deaths when the stock
market crashed in 1929? If so, was it just on Wall Street or
all over the country? --Alex Baxter, Aurora, Illinois

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Cecil replies:

Admit it, you want this to be true. You want to believe
there was a time when ruined tycoons, brought low through
their own foolishness and greed, would do the decent thing
and commit suicide, in contrast to the modern practice of
going before a congressional committee and taking the fifth.
You want to think that if you'd walked down Wall Street on
Black Thursday--October 24, 1929--bankrupt plutocrats would
have been falling out of the skies like rain. In short, you
want to believe in a better world.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/020830.html


STAFF REPORT

Dear Straight Dope:

How did French fries get their name, and where did they
originate? --Benjamin Schultz

SDSTAFF Dex replies:

First, it's important not to confuse French fry with French
fly, better known as Spanish fly (cantharides). This is the
kind of thing you want to get cleared up right away. 

For more, see: 
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfrenchfry.html


STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC - 05/18/1979

Dear Cecil: 

As I understand it, the appendix at one time assisted in our
digestion. Today it is useless. Our wisdom teeth, I have
learned, helped our ancestors chew tough herbs and raw meat.
Today they are a nuisance. But there is a third biological
mystery for which I have no answer. So please explain, Cece:
why do males have nipples? --Susan L., Los Angeles

Dear Susan:

To tell you the truth, nobody really knows. The best
explanation I've been able to find (and frankly it doesn't
explain very much) is that nipples aren't a sex-linked
characteristic. In other words, nipples are just one of
those sexually neutral pieces of equipment, like arms or
brains, that humans get regardless of sex. 

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_093.html

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