Cecil Adams

Cecil Adams, affectionately known to readers and fans and sometimes refers to himself as Uncle Cecil or Uncle Cece, is the pseudonymous author of The Straight Dope, a popular question and answer column published in the Chicago Reader from 2 February 1973 to 2018. The true identity of Adams, whether a single individual or a group of authors, has remained secret. The Chicago Reader's 1986 trademark filing for the name "Cecil Adams" states that "Cecil Adams does not identify any particular individual but was devised as a fanciful name."[1] As of 2008, Ed Zotti was the editor of the column.[2] The column was syndicated in 31 newspapers in the United States and Canada and has been continued as a website.[citation needed] The aim of the column, and now the website, is to spread general knowledge and everyday rational thinking, using a very strong and characteristically quirky sense of humor - some of it self-deprecating.

Billed as the "World's Smartest Human",[3][4][5] Adams responded to often unusual inquiries with a high degree of humor (often directed against the questioner, sometimes sardonically), and at times carried out exhaustive research into obscure and arcane issues, urban legends, and the like.[citation needed] On more than one occasion, Adams was forced to retract or modify an answer when confronted by "the Teeming Millions" (Adams' term for his readers), often claiming overwork and staff shortages.[citation needed] On rare occasions, Adams made appearances on the Straight Dope's Message Board.[citation needed]

On June 27, 2018, Adams announced that the "Straight Dope" column would be ending after 45 years and over 3,400 columns.[6] On January 13, 2023, it was announced that Cecil Adams would again be writing a column on The Straight Dope Message Board.[7] The first column, which appeared on the same day, was titled, "Is longtermism the world’s most dangerous belief system?"[8]

  1. ^ "Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS)". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  2. ^ Advance Publication Newsletter; Volume Seventeen, Number 3 Archived 2012-03-20 at the Wayback Machine Penguin Group (USA)
  3. ^ "The Straight Dope Tells All". Penguin Random House. February 24, 1998. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  4. ^ Adams, Cecil (June 16, 2000). "Are jet contrails the latest threat?". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on February 27, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference SDfaq was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "A note from Cecil Adams about The Straight Dope". June 27, 2018.
  7. ^ "Cecil's back!". January 13, 2023.
  8. ^ "Straight Dope 1/13/2023: Is longtermism the world's most dangerous belief system?". January 13, 2023.