R.I.P. Encyclopaedia Britannica

[RC Vikings]

World Book reader here. I loved the airplane section.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

I hope Al Gore is happy tonight. Maybe he's getting a massage.

Only the ending would be happy.

[Omaha 680]

I used to spend lazy summer days in the old World Book... particularly the Atlas studying the topography of the Moon.

Wow. Now that I type that out, that kind of explains a lot.

One of our World Book volumes had a section on human anatomy that had clear platic pages for each system that overlaid each other. You could strip away the different systems by turning the pages and look at muscles, bones, organs, etc. I was mesmerized by those diagrams and used to study them a lot as a kid. So naturally, I became a structural engineer.

[Art Vandelay]

I got called "Encyclopedia Brown" in 4th and 5th grade because my teachers would often send me to the library to read by myself. Apparently, a bored Mac distracts other people who are still working on their assignments.

I'm guessing the real reason is your class had a cute girl named Sally, and the teachers were scared she was going to smack you next time you asked her, "que' pasa?" They did it for your own safety.

[Green Monstah]

We were too poor for the E.B. and had the cheap world book's instead.

When I was 11, I read the entire A-Z during a single summer. I loved the write-ups on countries, in particular.

Humblebrag.

[creekster]

We were too poor for the E.B. and had the cheap world book's instead.

When I was 11, I read the entire A-Z during a single summer. I loved the write-ups on countries, in particular.

What a coincidence! We had the cheapo series too! Moreover, when I was around 12 or so I announced to my family I was going to read the whole thing from A to Z.

I think I made it to about Aardvark before crapping out on that goal.

[WashingtonCoug]

Before I knew what plagiarism was, I lifted the World Book Encyclopedia's entry on Richard Nixon for my 4th grade President report. I'm not sure exactly how I ended up with Richard Nixon. The kids got to choose by alphabetical order and lucky bastards with names staring with A and B got Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. By the time it got to me, the pickings were slim (there were only 40 presidents at the time and my class had about 30 students).

What grade did you get?

[Northwestcoug]

I remember when we were first married an Encyclopedia Brittanica salesman was pitching us pretty hard on buying the set. This was in the early to mid 90's. He was especially excited about the CD-ROM that came with it, and hyped the awesome search function. He was offering it to us for the low low price of ~90 dollars/month (about 1200 total). I remember thinking this is something we should do for our future kids.

Fast forward to this morning. My son and youngest daughter are in our room, and he asks us if there are stars bigger than the sun. My wife gives him her iPhone and tells him to ask Evo, and my daughter jumps on the computer to google it. Both had their answer in less than 30 seconds.

Those kids have no idea...

[Pelado]

Our World Book set was published in 1960. The entry on John F. Kennedy mentioned that he was a senator and that he'd served on a PT boat in WWII.

[Art Vandelay]

We were too poor for the E.B. and had the cheap world book's instead.

When I was 11, I read the entire A-Z during a single summer. I loved the write-ups on countries, in particular.

When I was 13 or 14 I remember a fondness for National Geographic.

[Blueintheface]

I learned plagarism with Funk and Wagnalls.

[wuapinmon]

I'm guessing the real reason is your class had a cute girl named Sally, and the teachers were scared she was going to smack you next time you asked her, "que' pasa?" They did it for your own safety.

I was gay in 4th and 5th grade.

[Blueintheface]

I was gay in 4th and 5th grade.

Your implication is that you are no longer gay thus further implying that homosexuality is a choice.

[wuapinmon]

Your implication is that you are no longer gay thus further implying that homosexuality is a choice.

No, my jeans mutated in sixth grade.

[Green Monstah]

When I was 13 or 14 I remember a fondness for National Geographic.

Swing low sweet chariots.