# Which reference websites are indispensable? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 8, 2005, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-reference-websites-are-indispensable/316146 "2005-08-08T18:22:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kezami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eb8c5e/32.png) [@kezami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kezami)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-reference-websites-are-indispensable/316146/1 "2005-08-08T18:22:56Z")
Besides being able to search SD with member privileges, which websites do you use repeatedly for reference such as: dictionary sites, general knowledge, trivia, searching, etc? I think it would be helpful and fun to compile a list of favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-reference-websites-are-indispensable/316146/2 "2005-08-08T18:51:26Z")
I use the Firefox browser, and I have a few search shortcuts that run from the address bar: [Webster’s Dictionary/Thesaurus](http://www.m-w.com/) and [Google](http://www.google.com/) get used the most. I also have a bunch of search engines available from a drop-down list: of the engines I have installed, I use [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/), [Acronym Finder](http://www.acronymfinder.com/), and [Dictionary.com](http://www.dictionary.com/) the most. Of my many reference bookmarks, I use [Bartleby.com](http://www.bartleby.com/bartlett/), the CIA’s [World Factbook](http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/), AltaVista’s [Babel Fish](http://babelfish.altavista.com/translate.dyn) translator, [All Music Guide](http://www.allmusic.com/), and NIST’s [Official U.S. Time](http://nist.time.gov/) the most. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-reference-websites-are-indispensable/316146/3 "2005-08-08T19:01:32Z")
I’m a recent devotee of [www.wikipedia.com](http://www.wikipedia.com). Also love sites like [www.snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com). Amazon and several other shopping sites are part of my staple. I get my news from Yahoo. Emails from Hotmail. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-reference-websites-are-indispensable/316146/4 "2005-08-08T19:15:36Z")
Most of my favs were already posted. [http://www.baseball-reference.com/](http://www.baseball-reference.com/) is the best resource for Baseball Stats & past trades. [Skepdic’s Dictiionary](http://skepdic.com/) [How Stuff Works](http://www.howstuffworks.com/) For North American Ppro Stadiums/Arenas [Ballparks by Munsey and Suppes](http://www.ballparks.com/) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-reference-websites-are-indispensable/316146/5 "2005-08-08T21:25:03Z")
[Sticky thread of reference sites.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=149223) ---
**Author:** ![kezami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eb8c5e/32.png) [@kezami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kezami)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-reference-websites-are-indispensable/316146/6 "2005-08-08T21:47:44Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > [Sticky thread of reference sites.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=149223) That’s impressive, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-reference-websites-are-indispensable/316146/7 "2005-08-08T21:54:38Z")
I just love [OneLook Dictionary Search](http://onelook.com/). The “reverse dictionary” is particularly useful. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-reference-websites-are-indispensable/316146/8 "2005-08-08T22:02:02Z")
[www.whatis.com](http://www.whatis.com) ---
**Author:** ![MrJackboots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MrJackboots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrJackboots)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-reference-websites-are-indispensable/316146/9 "2005-08-08T22:15:15Z")
I find Project Gutenberg highly useful when it comes time to check the relatively obscure quotes (ones good enough to stick in memory, but not good enough to make it into Bartlett’s). It’s also great for saving some typing with block-quotes; just grab the first few words and you can copy-paste paragraphs as needed. You have to know where they come from, though. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-reference-websites-are-indispensable/316146/10 "2005-08-09T04:29:03Z")
I’m doing (almost done! _sob_) an internship as a fact-checker at a newsweekly. As I had an opportunity to say straight-faced to an editor yesterday: “Facts are my life.” IMDB is _the_ site for movies. Accept no others (other than the movies official page.) [AllMusic.com](http://AllMusic.com) is great for finding out stuff about bands and performers. [Census.gov](http://Census.gov) is a good one for all manner of statistics. The [NY Times Navigator](http://nytimes.com/navigator) and [PowerReporting.org](http://PowerReporting.org) are both (for journalistic types, at least) godsends - basically, “How to find what you’re looking for” portals. [FindLaw.com](http://FindLaw.com) is great for looking up legal stuff. The [InfoPlease Almanac](http://infopls.com) is useful. If you should find yourself needing to know who, say, the Minister in charge of Disaster Relief of Mongolia is, [this](http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/chiefs/index.html) is the site. (Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, by the way). [this](http://thomas.loc.gov) is a good and very accurate site for Congressional info. Uh, no…I’m not actually geeky enough to browse some of those sites just for fun…um…move along, folks… ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-reference-websites-are-indispensable/316146/11 "2005-08-09T04:53:34Z")
For astronomy and space info: [Data Services at the U.S. Naval Observatory](http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/) - [NASA GSFC Eclipse Home Page](http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html) (6,000 years of moon phases too) [National Space Science Data Center](http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/) (especially for the data on planets and moons) [Spaceflight Now](http://www.spaceflightnow.com) for up-to-the minute (literally) news on manned and unmanned missions. ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-reference-websites-are-indispensable/316146/12 "2005-08-09T20:56:37Z")
In addition to the sites already mentioned: For a good [QUOTE] ([http://www.quotationspage.com/](http://www.quotationspage.com/)) … To convert [CURRENCY](http://www.xe.com/ucc/) … When I want to know the [TIME](http://www.worldtimeserver.com/current_time_in_BG.aspx) anywhere in the world … To find the [ANSWER](http://www.oneacross.com/cgi-bin/search_banner.cgi?) to a perplexing crossword clue … ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-reference-websites-are-indispensable/316146/13 "2005-09-12T05:31:37Z")
I quite like [Worldtime.](http://www.worldtime.com/cgi-bin/wt.cgi?cnt=2917390&ID=dd1454b8b1&land=17)