Strange gizmos that baffled people, but people from the Internet came to the rescue (23 photos)

People are constantly looking for new knowledge, but not that which is dumped on them, but that which is interesting specifically to them and specifically now. It happens that the information of interest is not available due to either its absence or lack of knowledge of where and how to look for it. Fortunately, there are plenty of people on the Internet with knowledge of all stripes and those who simply know how to use search engines well.





Question: “This gate is blocking access to several cell towers. Why are there so many locks and how do you even open them?”



Answer: “You can open the gate by unlocking only one lock. This design allows multiple people to use the gate, and if one of them loses the keys, only their padlock will need to be replaced. But if one lock with a bunch of keys breaks, then you will need to give new keys to a bunch of people.”

Question: “What is that thing in the middle of the ashtray for?”





Answer: “This is a matchbox holder.”



Question: “Found in an old house from 1914, little gold heads spin when you pull the red rope. By the way, made by Siemens"



Answer: “This is a razor blade sharpener.”

As a rule, the razor blade has several holes near the center with which it is attached to the heads inside the sharpener. Pulling the rope causes the heads to rotate, moving the blades along tiny sharpening stones.

Question: “What are these 7 strange screws with geometric shapes on the heads? No one in the house knows where they come from."



Answer: “These are tips for a wood burner.”



Question: “What is this I found in my purse? Made of metal, both balls are glued with superglue. The tube moves. 4 ends are not rounded but simply cut off"



Answer: “Ladies used small whisks to degas carbonated drinks. I think it was believed that burping was unladylike. Can also be used to degas sparkling wine, probably to make it more drinkable once the bottle is opened."

Question: “What is that big black glove on the arm of the bodyguard standing behind the Indian Prime Minister?”



Answer: “This is a small ballistic shield. The bodyguards hold them on opposite hands to quickly cover the prime minister with them when they push him into the hatch.”

Question: "My husband has this in his collection, but he has no idea what it's for other than using it as an axe."



Answer: “This is a hatchet for emergency evacuation from an airplane.”

It is designed to cut through the aluminum skin of an aircraft, and the rubberized handle should protect the user from electric shock. The author of the photo wrote in the comments that this hatchet says that it can protect against a shock of 15,000 volts.

Question: “What is that old container at Birmingham [UK] airport?”



Answer: “This is a training model of an aircraft for training the fire and rescue service.”

This is what it looks like from the inside



Question: “An oddly shaped sink in the hallway found on the sales page of an old house. Looks quite narrow, probably too small for washing boots."



Answer: “It’s called a “butler sink” or “washing sink.” It is used for washing, filling buckets with water and emptying dirty water. Thanks to it, maintenance staff could wash surfaces without wandering around the house. Some of them had a mop rack at the bottom.”

Question: “What are these strange appendages? Found in a hollow tree in a forest in Ontario, Canada."



Answer: “These are the limbs of the tree. The branches are denser than the trunk and rot more slowly. No weird growths, just rotting at varying rates. Happens quite often"



Answer #2: “This is the core of the tree, where the center of the roots is located. Resins have accumulated in the roots, which slow down their decay.”

Question: “Found it in my driveway. Last night the Canadian police arrested my neighbor, could this be related to his arrest?”



Answer: “Yes, this is a dart from a stun gun.”



Question: “What is this green round object found in my grandparents' garden? Made of plastic with a round plate and a detachable cylinder on top. There are also two tubes coming out from the bottom and the top."



Answer: "It's a slug trap."

Most likely his grandparents are using it as a birdbath, since slug traps are usually set on the ground by sticking a rod into the ground (which you can see in the photo at the top of the structure). Usually a liquid that attracts slugs, such as beer, is poured inside. Climbing inside, the slugs fall into the liquid and can no longer get out. In principle, any bowl of beer can be used for this.

Question: “What is that small round object sticking out of the wheel arch of this city bus in Adelaide [Australia], I have not seen these on any other bus.”



Answer: “This is a guide system for buses on the O-Ban High Speed Busway that run along the rails.”



Question: “I moved to a new apartment and found this on the wall. It looks like a plastic plate with a hollow hole inside. What could this be for?



Answer: “This is a channel for hiding cables in the wall. There should be another exit somewhere nearby, next to an outlet.”

Question: “I thought it might be for candles, but the holes are quite small and I don't know why one part is higher than the others. Any ideas?"



Answer: “This is Chanukiah. The raised part is intended to illuminate others.”

Hanukkiah is a lamp that is lit during the eight days of Hanukkah. Not to be confused with a menorah, which has 7 candle horns in a row. Hanukkiah has 9 horns, with one of them rising above the rest.

Question: “A small spoon with a clip in the handle. Found this in the kitchen"



Answer: “It’s a coffee spoon with a coffee bag clip.”