16 times people stumbled upon something they knew nothing about, but were enlightened on the Internet (32 photos)

While some are trying in every possible way to run away from knowledge, others are just looking for an excuse to learn something new. Since you are reading this, it means that you are definitely one of the latter. Sometimes you don’t have to go far to find something interesting; you just need to look around your grandmother’s closet or your basement.





There is only one problem with all the curious things that can be found there - sometimes it is difficult to understand what they are. Users often ask such questions on the Reddit website, where other users try to talk about the origin of a particular find whenever possible.

Question: “What are those liquid vests that Olympic sailing athletes wear? Dutch athletes Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz stood in them during an interview after the race."



Answer: “These are cooling vests.”





People first started talking about these vests in 2020, when they began to be worn by nurses who were forced to wear poorly ventilated clothing while suffering from heat during the pandemic. These same vests allow athletes to endure the Summer Olympic Games more comfortably and not overheat.

Question: “What is that thing on the bar counter at my work? Made of metal, hollow inside"



Answer: “It's an old-fashioned bottle opener on a bar counter. Saw a lot of these in old pubs."



There is a special part on the back of the metal thing that is designed for opening bottles. Usually, after opening, the cork falls into a special container, although there may be a regular trash can at the bottom

Question: “A small shaped spoon with a hole in the bottom. I think it's some kind of kitchen utensil, but I have no idea what it is. Help!"



Answer: “This is a spoon for giving melon pieces a fancy shape.”



Works just like an ice cream scoop.

Question: “My partner went to a yard sale and came back with an old jar full of these things. Hard metal, measuring spoon for scale"



Answer: “This is a mount for curtains that do not have special slots or loops.”



The sharp part goes through the curtain fabric like a safety pin, and the other catches on the rings.

Question: “My new bra, which I bought online, has a microchip in it.” In my opinion, it is fake, but I cannot determine exactly what it is and why it was inside."



Answer: “This is one of the “healing” things of the modern world. From the category of magnetic bracelets"



Now some Chinese underwear manufacturers are sewing such magnets inside. They are designed to improve blood circulation, and most often they can be found in underwear for “slimming”

Question: “Just bought a lake house and found three of these things in the water next to the pier. Cross stack of corrugated tubes wrapped in plastic mesh with weights attached"



Answer: “This is the so-called fish nursery. They help the fry hide from predatory fish. They also improve fishing, as predatory fish will swim around these things in the hope that a few babies will swim out."



Question: “I just moved into a new house. The former tenant left this in the freezer. A solid stainless steel cylinder, just over 15cm long, rounded at one end and internally threaded at the other. Anchovies for scale. What is this thing?



Answer: “This is a wine chiller with the second part missing. You freeze it in the freezer, then put it in a bottle of wine."



Question: “What is that little camera or some kind of detector on the ceiling? I noticed it in a waxing salon.”



Answer: “This is an indicator to show that the ceiling lamp has a backup battery in case of an emergency and that it is fully charged.”

Question: “This thing has a lot of handles. Mainly made of wood, it's been sitting in a thrift store in Mossel Bay, South Africa for years and no one ever knew what it was. Google doesn't know either."





Answer: “This is the control panel of an electric weight loss device. Something like an EKG machine, it used to pass an electric current through certain points, and this was supposed to stimulate the muscles and give the same results as exercise."



Question: “A small metal object (about 10 cm) with various mechanical parts on one side. There is a spare gear inside the lined case. Age unknown, but possibly antique"



Answer: “It is a drawing tool for drawing dotted lines.”



The writing part was dipped in ink, then the device had to be moved along a ruler so that it left dotted lines or, as in this case, dots.

Question: “A large cube-shaped object attached to some channel near the dam. Usually found underwater. Looks like it's made of translucent material?



Answer: “This is a filter for collecting water that is collected in a certain reservoir.”

At the moment the filter is visible because the water level has dropped. Most likely, there are more of these under water.

Question: “Metal pins with round heads and rotating tubes in a wooden board. Most likely an antique. What's happened?"



Answer: “This is a vintage tie rack.”



Question: “Heavy ball and flimsy wire... Some kind of holder?”



Answer: “This is a napkin holder, and from IKEA.”



Question: “Two rubber cups on the ends of plastic arms that don’t touch. What it is?"



Answer: “This is a percussion back massager.”



During a blow to the back, the ball hits another, adding additional vibration.

Question: “What is this thing I found at a thrift store? It looks like a ceramic tray that sits on a table and holds something."



Answer: "Flower vase, also known as flower frog"



Often used to hold artificial flowers.

Question: “A small round clip with thumbs up. Stretches but maintains a round shape"



Answer: "It's a phone holder"