# Did Cecil write a column about the origin of Ring Around the Rosie

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cecil-write-a-column-about-the-origin-of-ring-around-the-rosie/31352>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 30, 2000, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cecil-write-a-column-about-the-origin-of-ring-around-the-rosie/31352 "2000-08-30T16:18:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cecil-write-a-column-about-the-origin-of-ring-around-the-rosie/31352/1 "2000-08-30T16:18:29Z")

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I could have sworn Cecil wrote a column about the relationship between the Ring Around the Rosie rhyme and the bubonic plague. Multiple archive searches have proved fruitless, however. Did I hallucinate that column or is the search engine still buggy?

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**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cecil-write-a-column-about-the-origin-of-ring-around-the-rosie/31352/2 "2000-08-30T17:03:13Z")

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This is one of the multiple-choice questions included in Unca Cece’s _More of the Straight Dope_. The question, #45, appears in Quiz #8, on page 362. The answer, including Cecil’s explanation, is on pages 478-479.

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**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cecil-write-a-column-about-the-origin-of-ring-around-the-rosie/31352/3 "2000-08-30T17:04:41Z")

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[Here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=32489) is a link to a previous thread regarding this. Cecil did write a column about it, but it is not available here. It is available in one of his books though, More of The Straight Dope.

I first read of the plague reference while visiting Liberty Science Center in NJ. You would think such a place would investigate information before passing it along to thousands as fact. hmmph.

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**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cecil-write-a-column-about-the-origin-of-ring-around-the-rosie/31352/4 "2000-08-30T17:22:47Z")

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I guess it’s one of those columns that used to be online, but isn’t anymore. That would explain it.

Thanks for the help.