In one way or another I have always been attracted to minutia, tidbits, and trivial knowledge not just concerning one sphere, but anything or anyone that came into my field of vision. The true obsession began with my first World Almanac, published by the Newspaper Enterprise Association and edited by Luman H. Long. This volume of nearly one-thousand pages of information opened my eyes not only to the world but to the facts that concerned the world. Used by presidents and nine year old boys alike, it was chock-full of notable, important, little known and sometimes downright obscure statistics that few people want to know let alone care to know.
What a steal at $1.95
I discovered that this treasure trove of economic, scientific and political information served my needs well, as I neared my tenth birthday. I did not have a common childhood, my parents traveled (more than two hundred days per year) and that necessitated being home schooled in the day when only the children of the rich and of diplomats received a home education. I was always trying to impress my father, mother and any adult that would lend an ear, with points of interests regarding the town or city we found ourselves in.
The populations of cities and states, local television and radio stations were a part of my normal conversation; these along with other pertinent data were held in high esteem by me. I guess I came by this desire to “search” genetically, but as I matured and began to take notice and to inventory the actions of those around me, I realized that I had seen magazines and newspapers in my father’s hands daily. My mother seemed always to be reading; so more probable is the combination of genetic predisposition and environmental training that caused my insatiable thirst for knowledge.
Whatever the subject, whether entertainment, religion, politics, economics, nature and relationships I want to know fully, what is available. Add to my voracious appetite for information, an almost obsessive need to illuminate completely the theme, and voilà, a research nerd.
Thank you for taking time to read my little bit of information and background, and who knows; maybe you have determined that you are a research nerd yourself. Beware! For if you like what and how I write on any given subject, than this geekish pursuit of precise-points may be catching.
By C. S. Williams
Classic Film Aficionados 
I have been a life-long collector of obsessives, people such as yourself.
You share your findings, instead of hoarding them. That’s an admirable trait.
I’ve enjoyed two visits to your site, and I will return. Keep sweeping the
hallways of history. Somebody has to do it. Remember the scientist who collects and
categorizes ancient seeds and spores from lake bottoms has a smaller
audience than you. You get readers. He doesn’t.
Thank you for your kind words; I will continue the dust-bunny gathering and pursue the “other” yellow journalism: old newspapers and magazines.
Thank you