16 People Who Would’ve Never Solved These Mysteries If It Wasn’t for the Internet

There are times when the internet can annoy, disturb and leave us feeling uncomfortable. But there are also times when we feel blessed that we have such a precious tool at the tips of our hands. For example, when you have a question about something, you can feel certain that someone online will be able to answer it. That is exactly how these 16 people discovered what their mysterious things were.

1. “Bought an old house (UK), found this in a cupboard untouched from the 1960’s today.”

• It’s upside down. It’s one of those fake noses with a mustache that would have been attached to glasses as a “disguise” for kids. akrdnk / Reddit

2. “Small elephant filled with water left at flat after party. Debating with flatmates over what it’s purpose could be.”

• It’s a melted reusable ice cube. xptx / Reddit

3. “Found at an estate sale. Metal beads move freely within a glass tube thing. About 6 inches tall on a wooden base.”

• This looks like parts from a laboratory glass setup, it could be catalyst beads, a micro distillation column or a few other less likely things that I can imagine. The department glass blower has taken it, cut it off and cut the ends. Then someone protected it with the resin body. The only thing that really surprises me is that it doesn’t have a brass plate with name and date attached to the wooden base. ondulation / Reddit

4. “Found this plugged into the wall at my Airbnb... host says it’s a night light. Can I get some confirmation?”

• I googled square nightlights and it looks just like that. D0CxA / Reddit

5. “What is the purpose of this cut glass hexagon with a hole?”

• I think it’s a Christmas ornament. FlyinPurplePartyPony / Reddit

6. “20cm long wooden leather working tool? Metal ends with hole all the way through.”

• It looks like an old bobbin. Shameless522 / Reddit

7. “This looks like a typewriter but the letters are in alphabetical order.”

Answer: “It looks like a keyboard panel from a tabletop jukebox selector.”

8. “The pumpkin thing opens on a hinge, with a latch inside with a small glass jar. A sharp pin is attached to the jar.”

• It might be a “vinaigrette,” a piece of jewelry containing smelling salts or perfume that women hung from a chatelaine chain in Victorian times. willywillwilfred / Reddit

9. “What are these for in an outdoor area of a hospital?”

• These are emergency showers. An affected person (chemical spills, laboratory mishaps, etc.) will pull the lever on the top and tepid water will douse them from the showerhead (above) and boot sprayer (below). The duration of these showers is required to be 15 full minutes. brisket_curd_daddy / Reddit

10. “Curved metal piece with attached leather strap.”

• It’s an Arm blaster. jackrats / Reddit

11. “I found it in a thrift store, no markings on it that I could find. It’s maybe about a foot long, pretty lightweight, entirely plastic.”

• It’s a back-to-basics smoothie chill stir stick. thinkingfatking / Reddit

12. “Sitting in a Tokyo restaurant, and they brought this fork.”

• It’s for pulling lumps of food off skewers. Chuff_Nugget / Reddit

13. “What is this big hole that is usually found on milk cartons?”

• It reduces the pressure. This is actually a measure to keep the milk contained if it’s suddenly dropped, or frozen. AtomixSpark / Reddit

14. “What is this folding hook I found?”

• Folding button hook. SlippingAbout / Reddit

15. “Found in an antique shop for $1. It’s made of wood. It looks like a nesting doll but it has a spiral inside.”

• This is a darning egg with room for storage for some thread. Kanadark / Reddit

16. “What is this? Found it by my toaster. Please don’t tell me it’s some kind of cockroach molt.”

• That looks a lot like a rattlesnake rattle. 99999999999999999989 / Reddit

Have you ever discovered something that looked quite simple to identify only to be shocked at what it truly was?