The Know-it-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World

by A. J. Jacobs

  ethnic groups:baldness compared inOstrogoth-American

  etymological underground

  eunuchs, operatic

  evasion strategies:create a distractionI'll-get-back-to-you trick

  evolution, of typewriter

  extinction, of passenger pigeons

  facts:battle offudging ofmovie-interruptingswimming vs. drowning inTrebek's favoritesas trophies of the huntweird and crudeworld packed with

  failures:in astronomyof cosmosin crossword puzzlesin Hitler assassination attemptin Millionaireat Waterloo

  fame:names forgotten byscrewups recorded bysee also celebrities; greats

  families:buttercupeminence inhippy

  Family Feud, crossword puzzle-themed version of

  Farrow, Dave, memory course of

  fashion, brief history of

  fertilitycollectibles andof efficiency guruexperimenting with rituals ofof rabbits

  fetishes:breastfor cross-eyed womengumfor organizationin speed reading

  Fibonacci series, Boggle scored with

  1582, ten days skipped in

  flagellation, fertility promoted by

  flirty fishing, gospel and herpes spread by

  folklore, elves in

  food:in buffalo merchandise warscateredin eating contestecstasy andforeign, Carry Nation's assault ongreasy Italian fingerItalian weddingordering of, in Italyrestaurantrestrictions onwar overwashed by raccoons

  football, how to talk about

  form, good or bad, in chess

  44, number of insanity attacks suffered by Charles VI of France

  42,649, number of red deer killed by ruler of Saxony

  Franklin, Benjamin, reasons to name yourself after

  freezing point, misguided determination of

  Freud, Sigmund, Marx preferred to

  Frost, Robert, Harvard connection of

  "fucking," infixing of

  gagaku, Korean name for

  Galton, Francis

  games:cardscharadeshumiliationinventednumberSimon Sayssix-degrees-of-separationsee also crossword puzzles; word games

  Garbo, Greta, little-known resume item of

  gasoline, best time for purchase of

  Genevieve:Alaskan crab legs sent as gift fromdustup delegated to

  genius(es):animosity betweencapacity for bad behavior amongcounterintuitive facts aboutof Einsteinfresh air required forlinguisticin Mensapsychological problems ascribed totemperamentalthoroughly balancedsee also Mensa(ns)

  germaphobia

  g-forces, protection from

  gnomons

  God:fertility, of the Weekin Taiping Rebellionwaiting for stars to spell out

  golf balls, dimples on

  Google(ing):addiction toEB vs.for "erythrocyte""Jacobs" in

  graduate thesis ideas:clothing colors and world history"The Scarlet Number"

  grahamcracker, curious inventor of

  Grandma, word police on trail of

  Grant's Tomb, waiting to be asked about

  grease, types of

  Great EB, The (Kogan)

  greats:compulsions ofcousins favored in marriage ofinteresting lives of

  Greeks, ancient

  hair:in BibledreadlocksJew-fromohawks

  haircuts:army crewcut, origin offive-thousand-year-old

  happiness, reaching peak of

  Hare and Burke, corpse sales and service by

  Harington, John, flush toilet fathered by

  Harper's Index

  Harvard University, notable graduates of

  head-bobbing

  head flattening

  head-snapping technique

  health concerns:cholesterol indisturbing facts ingermaphobia inhypochondria andpickles in

  Helen of Troy, what she might launch today

  hemorrhoids, famous fatal case of

  heredity:in Jacobs familyof worldview

  herpes, spiritual spread of

  HiQ societies

  history:cinnamon and chocolate inconstants incontradictions infew black-or-white hats infigures lost toflexibility an advantage inGreek, favored by EBGreeks vs. Romans ininterwovenness ofluck's huge part inpamphleteer's place inSix Degrees of Kevin Bacon interrorism in

  Hitler, Adolf, failed assassination attempt on

  Hoeflin, Ron:HiQ societies founded byas Millionaire lifelinephilosophical pursuits of

  Hoiberg, Dale

  Hollywood:antigerbil gossip inAztec idea stolen byfounding ofhumility plan forsee also movies

  Holmes, Sherlock, organized mind of

  Homo sapiens, faith in success of

  Houdini, Harry:Conan Doyle's feud withfact checking onname chosen by

  How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare (Beuys)

  human beings, interaction with

  humiliation games

  humor:"being there" as aid toabout Burbanksee also jokes

  Hustler, EB compared with

  Huxley, Aldous, EB habit of

  hypochondria, denial of

  hypocrisy, uses of

  illnesses, breakthrough

  Impact of Rule 10b-5 (Jacobs Sr.)

  impatience, advantages of

  income, Mensan unsteadiness of

  "index," indexing of

  indexes, wit in

  Indonesia, rare cone shell of

  infixes, examples of

  information:appetites forcounterintuitivehaboobinaccuratememory limited foroptimism-inspiringquest for meaning inrisk in sharing oftrees vs. forest ofsee also knowledge

  insults:EB-worthyfingerunderdog group co-opting of

  intellectual competition

  intelligence:crystallized vs. fluiddefining ofFrancis Bacon's pursuit ofHasidic competition andin HiQ societieswisdom vs.see also IQ

  international criminal law, editing article on

  interviews, for Millionaire

  inventors, close-but-no-cigar

  IQ:high, balancing on one foot associated within marveling at keyssee also genius(es); intelligence

  IQ tests

  Iraq:embedding inwar with

  Italy, Rick and Ilene's Jewish wedding in

  Jacob, of Bible fame

  Jacobs, A. J.:in the AsBeavis moments overcome bybrain atrophy ofbrain damage feared byconfrontation avoided byconversation stopping ascribed tocourtship strategy ofcrossword debacle ofcultural prejudices ofdebating techniques ofdepression ofepistemology bypassed byethical relativism eschewed byevasion strategies ofexposure courted byfacial feedback tried byfashion issues offavorite compulsions offull name ofGandhi as heralding hope forhidden allusions missed byhypochondria denied byhypothetical Britannica entry forintellectual rise and decline ofJeopardy off-limits tojournalistic start ofas late sleeperMarxist school days ofmemorizing system ofMensa membership ofMillionaire trials ofmotion efficiencies ofat Ns in Venicenude posing ofas one-time smartest boy in the worldoverstuffed mind ofparts of speech apparently an issue forreligious inclination ofremembering name ofrhetorical devices favored bysending wine toas seventy-five trillion cells, for a starttwo-thirds of historical event attended byunintended atonality ofuniqueness as goal of

  Jacobs, Arnold. J., Sr.:achievement ofAJ's Britannica entry forAJ's feat hailed byAJ's interaction withas beach-chair scholarbuffalo fabrications ofByzantine practical jokes ofchildren's FAQs known toethical relativism as seen byGenghis fixation ofhigh school education ofinteraction withon light speedmid-Bs reached bymissing kids oforigin of AJ's rivalry withparty behavior ofquasi-Asimov achievements ofRenaissance Man ideal of

  Jacobs, Berylin Alaskachemical symbol fordaughter born tomoral sense ofSeymour's bouncy visit to

  Jacobs, Ellen Kheel:AJ's cheating incident andAJ's reading habits deplored byDeadhead message heard byin mother-son bonding tripmultitasking rejected bypigeons as viewed bypractical mind-set oftelegonic perspective on

  Jacobs, JasperAJ's preparation forgender observed innaming ofsonogramsof

  Jacobs, Julie Schoenberg:AJ quizzed byAJ restrained byAJ's cranial capacity known byAJ's crush reve
aled toAJ's Mensa membership andbirthday expanded byon Britannica prospectbuying flowers forcanned crying not needed bycelebratory dinner provided byEB disappointing tofury provoked inHanukkah present ofherb-related aid toimpressive sleep attainments ofJ-volume comment ofmarriage oforganizing fetish ofOscar party ofpregnancy of; see also Jacobs, JasperSherwood Schwartz sitcoms known by"what, what, what?" thing not tried out on

  Jacobs family, AJ's models in

  Jamie:adult ed class ofat crossword tournament with AJ

  Jane, Aunt

  Jefferson, ThomasAdams predeceased by

  Jeopardy, trying out for

  Jesus:actual birth date ofEaster Bunny andeditorial mischief on

  Jews, Judaismchess-playinglore ofmenstruation taboo inunder Nazis

  jokes:about bartender and Descartesmoon-in-waterpoop-culturepop-culture

  Jupiter, Julie's rash thoughtlessly compared to Great Red Spot of

  Kennedy, Edward M., "Punctual Guy" meeting with

  Kheel, Ted

  kings named Charles, abundance of

  know-it-all, Mr., see knowledge displays

  knowledge:clustering of (cannibalism, syphilis, oneeye blinded men, e.g.)in conversational gambitscreative solutions arising fromfor crossword successFaustian thirst forflexibility an advantage ingeneral vs. specializedJacobs men in love withmacabrenormal gaps inphilosophy ofPlato's theory ofin post-Britannica summaryrecurring themes inself-

  knowledge displays:in the AsBritishisms inin chess gameon corianderon earthof eleven-year-old Douglase-mails used inof Ericin father-son matchon "The Fire Next Time"guessing inon head-snapping techniqueJulie as restraining influence onat Mensan conventionon Millionaireat New-York Historical Societyon pediatricson picklespotential for humiliation inon sportson timein viewing Shanghai Knights

  Kogan, Herman

  Koning, Hans, on Eleventh Edition

  Krantz, David, memorization explained by

  lacrosse, lacrosse word vs.

  language(s):eleven-year-old genius onEB's help in translation ofpretentiousridiculous imprecision ofsexist, fruitist, and antianimalsee also words

  Latin, life-saving role of

  lawyers, "lovely group of people" as

  learning, embracing joy of

  legal proceedings:first U.S. insanity plea inodd

  Lego robotics, career as instructor in

  Les, learning speed reading with

  libido, dampening of

  Lies and Fallacies of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, The (McCabe)

  life:chaos ofpassing by ofphilosophy of, Fitzgerald vs. Fleming onas "sad piece of buffoonery"secret ofutopian view of

  ligature

  light speed:novel yardstick fortime and

  Limbaugh, Rush, positive side of

  limerick, G-rated

  Lisa (friend), earth explained to

  loopholes:in "benefit of clergy"biblicalin colonial timesMensanof religious menin wills

  losers, lacrosse players giggled at by

  Louis XIV, King of France:bioweapons suppressed byfontange affixed in court of

  Louis XV, King of France:Encyclopedie tolerated byhunting days of

  Luciano, Lucky, war effort aided by

  Luther, Martin, theses not really nailed by

  McCabe, Joseph

  Macropaedia

  Madonna, Britannica-speak view of

  males, selfish tool behavior of

  Manhattan, Indian sale of

  Manhattanites, huge nonflying flock of

  marriage(s):of AJ's parentsAristotelian view ofassortative mating inbrief history ofclose-knitfidelity in, of pigeonsafter Long Marchand Pueblo moccasin divorceShaw's apparent celibacy inShaw's famous quote onof Solomonof twins (to each other)

  MarshallChess Club, boosting intelligence at

  Marti, Aunt

  Marx, Karl

  meaningful cross-referencing, see cross-referencing, meaningful

  melee, memorizing definition of

  Melville, Herman, dismissive 1941 write-up of

  memorization, nothing bypassed in

  memory:Dave Farrow's course andEbbinghaus curve ofsee also Operation Britannica, retention issue in

  Mensa(ns):characteristics observed inconvention ofconversations ofcrass drunkenness ofmembership inobesity ofpuns andsweetness and humility wanting intrivia contest of

  Metamorphosis of Ajax, The (Harington)

  metric system

  Micropaedia

  mind:as atticas newly painted shack

  mistakes and misinformation:even EB not free ofof successful know-it-alls

  mistresses, in Mussolini family

  mob, wartime help from

  Moore, Demi, Hawthorne revised by

  Morozov, Paulik, that odious little schmuck

  mosquitoes, yellow fever transmitted by

  movie ideas:The Great Metric CaperHail to the Freakin' Chief (president afflicted with Tourette's syndrome)Julia Child, chef by day, spy by nightLumiere factory film remakea romance between Civil War enemiesYoung Gandhi

  movies:first talkie, surprisinglyleaving early atoverheard inaccuracies intolerable length ofunasked questions about

  movie stars, geographic knowledge of

  Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, Salieri's friendship with

  music:gagaku (a-ak)rap

  Mussolini, Benito, serious relationship issues of

  myths, of conception

  Nabokov, Vladimir

  names:apotropaicbastardization ofcoincidences incolorful, in sportsfamous, determined by chanceill-advisedof Jacobs babyJulie's list ofreassessment offor victims of practical jokes

  Napoleon I, Emperor of the French:hesitation and Waterloo loss ofidiosyncratic portrait of

  Native Americans, warfare of

  nature, Woody Allen's view of

  negative side:of AJ, the Mensanof Jeffersonof natural worldof reading

  Neptune, English astronomer's careless loss of

  Newton, Isaac, unorthodox thumbing of

  New Yorker

  New York Timescrosswords of

  nicknames:eighth-gradeof politicians not to trustin sports

  nipples:caviar onJodie Foster'sopossumpresidential

  "no," issues with saying

  nose, ignorance of what is right under

  nouns, in radio turn-off ritual

  nudity:in battleEB's surprising amount ofin exercisein the greatsin photo poses

  number(s):irrational, Pythagorean opposition tosorting philosophies bysquare roots of

  nut jobs, rationality sometimes possessed by

  Oglesby, Thaddeus

  omniscience, see specific topics

  Operation Britannica:as addictionAJ's decision onAJ's family onAJ's limit reached inAJ Sr. onauthority of doctors eroded bybedrock of confidence attributed tobeing "out there" vs.coincidences incomfort and health incomfort from verifiable megagenius onin conflict of authoritiescross-reference tolerance incrossword failure not attributed toencyclopedia-as-Bible theory ofequipment forfainting envied infalling asleep infalse trumpets sounded inFlaubert and Buddhists opposed togames for self-amusement inhazards inhead slappers inIraq crisis and"Ironic Facts" file injoy of learning inlearning to see silver lining inin light of evolving brainas lonely missionmind toys provided bymost common reading sites fornobility seen inorganizing influence ofphilosophical justifications forpower of editing pondered inproper stance forpsychoanalytic view ofrelationship with Julie affected byrelationship with world altered byretention issue inscatological puns resisted inskimming in,specialization fought inspeed reading attempted inas starter accomplishmentas surrogate Hebrew schoolthree Halifaxes intime logged intrivia score aided byuseful applications ofwhat to read afterwisdom gained from"Zywiec" as end of road in

  Oscars, AJ's firsthand knowledge of

  Ostrogoths, ill-advised complaint about

  overcomers, stories of

  Paine, Thomas, history's kindness to

  Panelas, Tom:in AJ's visit to EB HQother "faithful readers" found by
/>   Pappas, Theodore

  paradoxes, liar

  parenthood:avoidance ofcatalog of fears faced inlearn-as-you-gotheories on

  parents, Marxian views on

  past, present as recap of

  past posting:instructions forwith TiVo

  Paul (friend), earth explained to

  pedophilia:literary fame andin Self-Taught Man

  penis rituals, mushrooming and

  penthouses, special theory of

  "peon," misguided definition of

  Peru, New Year's undies in

  Peter and Sharon

  Petrarch, Francesco, visit to Dr. Phil advised for

  Philbin, Regis

  philosophy:French, role of crossed eyes inof humanideal forms vs. change in

  Picard, Captain, baldness of

  pigeons, AJ blown away by

  Plato, philosophy of

  poetry:depressingdisheartening vs. wisely humbling

  polar wandering

  pop culture:AJ's promise toEB coverage ofEB light onholes opening in AJ's knowledge ofjokes in

  pornography:in Carry Nation's daycross-eyed women inin domain name swipeat reproduction clinic

  positive side:of Attila the Hunof Black Deathof frequent illnessesof Krakatoaof Max Schmelingof natural worldof Sepoy Mutiny

  pregnancy:of Julie's friendsquest for; see also Jacobs, Jasper; Jacobs, Julie Schoenbergpreliterate societies, ethical relativism as guide to

  presidents:log cabin spotlight onspeed reading ascribed toWhite House habits andsee also specific presidents

  pretention, five steps to

  pronunciation:of Goetheof "motor"overcoming defects in

  public relations:in naming GreenlandSeven Wonders concept in

  Puccini, Giacomo, operatic personal life of

  pulmonary diseases, noble deaths from

  puns:Mensan love ofscatological

  Pythagoras

  quarters, serrated edges on

  quizzes:Mensan triviaat New-York Historical Society Museumpopin quiz show auditions,rabbinical

  rabbit(s):Fibonacci increases inOswald, the Disney road not takenstuffed

  radio, ritualistic turning off of

  rap, purveyors of

  rap stars, Upper East Side boys dressing like

  Rasputin, murder of

  Raster Master, speed reading with Les and

  rational humanism, Sartre's rejection of

  rats, flying, pigeons as

  reading:to AJ's gestating boyprocessing vs.of telephone book, name after nameworries about value of

  real estate, probable worst deal in

  relativity:general theory oflongevity andspecial theory of