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14 Things People Never Would Have Been Able To Identify Without The Help Of The Internet
By Kelley Greene,
9 hours ago
Folks always seem to find funky little objects they've never seen before and can't quite identify. Luckily, that's where the r/whatisthisthing subreddit comes in. Here are 14 recent finds posted to the sub and what they turned out to be:
1. This thin, metal rod with a tiny handle that was dropped off at a thrift store:
"This is for removing a cork from a wine bottle if it falls all the way in. Here's the patent from 1985 . The inventor lived in Vancouver, where I also live; perhaps that's why I recognized it. I've seen these around. Pretty sure my mom and dad had one."
When the original poster asked how it worked, u/Splint33333 replied, "You just put the thing inside the bottle and the bottom part (with the larger bit) under the cork. Then, you lift up, pushing the cork against the neck of the bottle until it flies out. There is a 'DIY' version with a simple string and a knot version on YouTube ."
"Mercury is mixed with gold-containing materials, forming a mercury-gold amalgam, which is then heated, vaporizing the mercury to obtain the gold. This process can be very dangerous and lead to significant mercury exposure and health risks."
"Mercury is pretty toxic, and it’s really not fun to get sick from it. You usually feel really horrible, and you never get better. It doesn’t take much to permanently poison or kill a person. These flasks could still have a little in them, and perhaps more importantly is that if they’re empty, it means the area could be contaminated."
4. This bell-like structure at the top of a Victorian-era brick building:
"It's a hook used to hoist furniture to the upper floors of the building. A pulley is hung from it to assist. The bell shape is likely just to protect from rain."
"They actually did a fairly good job. I've read about a policeman near Dockside, London, using one. He was sitting in the dark, describing hearing an occasional 'plink' as a bit of shrapnel hit the outside.
They weren't to protect you from bombs. Let's face it; you need to be underground or behind a LOT of concrete for that; these were more to provide cover from the bits of AA shells that were raining down across the cities during an air raid, which can be equally as unfriendly."
"The grey concrete parts look like those building blocks for sparrows. They were fashionable in the Netherlands (where I think this photo was taken) a while ago to allow nature to live along with manmade buildings. It looks like they blocked the entrance of the sparrow homes with brushes."
"Dutch ecologist over here. This building is probably about to be demolished. They are making this building "nature-free." The blocks are used for Swifts. Nesting places for Swifts are year-round protected, so also in winter when they are not here. The Swifts had already left for Africa, so they plugged the holes to prevent something else from entering before demolishing the building.
All of this is done to prevent the killing of protected species before demolishing a building. And if they are going to build something new in the place of this building, then there should be at least as many accommodations built in for Swifts in the new building."
The original poster, u/Snecklad , replied, "Solved! It's a Victorian Bell trap. Thank you very much indeed! It's been bugging me for ages.
The second diagram on that page is an exact match for the object. More sleuthing has pulled up some scans from Victorian sanitary hardware catalogues that also match, plus one or two images online of rusty old bell traps similar to mine ."
8. This orange, moist goo found under some tall grass:
9. This egg-shaped object with a black lacquered handle:
"That's a darning egg. The black lacquered part is the handle, and the lighter wood is the 'egg' to brace clothing against when darning holes. It's especially useful for socks!"
10. This metal case containing some equipment and Russian manuals:
"Booklet reads in Russian: Dose rate meter (roentgen meter) - TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION AND OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS.
So I believe this is an old portable radiation detector (aka dosimeter) that probably provides gamma and dose rate measurements for emergency response and hazmat."
"Not a dosimeter, but a radiac meter. A dosimeter measures CUMULATIVE radiation absorbed by the wearer. Radiac meters show the current level of radiation in the area."
"When those were installed, horses were probably the main transportation option, and in addition, nobody carried dog poop bags. I have seen quotes that NYC in 1900 dealt with 2.5 million pounds of horse poop per day! Vibram hadn't been invented, so I would guess not a lot of lugged soles. That would make these both very necessary and probably fairly effective."
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