15 Things People Would Never Have Been Able To Identify If The Internet Hadn't Come To Their Rescue
Kelley Greene
·6-min read
The world is filled with unknowable things — the least of which are the little mysterious thingamabobs we happen upon while simply existing. Lucky for us, we have the kind folks over at the r/whatisthisthing subreddit to figure out what all these oddities are. Here's 15 recent finds from the sub, and what they turned out to be:
1.This porcelain, globe-shaped object found in an attic:
"They are reflective shields for dental work. They help view inside a patient’s mouth. The pad absorbs moisture and holds the little mirror in place. Here's a better photo."
The original poster, u/Glittering_Duty_3886, replied, "Dude, I think you got it. I bet you the chip clip got stuck to the bottom of a pan and melted it off, leaving the magnet attached to a pan somewhere. Thank you!!! 👍👍 Was driving everyone bonkers with mystery."
6.These small, bullet-shaped items that seemed to be made out of stone:
In response, user ap1msch explained further, saying, "This is it. Cue tips can get smooth and shiny over time if not cared for, making them far less effective and unable to accept chalk. You need to rough them up so they can properly spin the billiard balls."
8.This small stone tablet found on a ridge line in Conway, Massachusetts:
"Worked at an old engineering firm, and there were still a few of these around. The pencil in question was more like a mechanical pencil, holding the graphite rod in place. You would pull out a bit of extra rod, put the pencil in the hole, and sort of swirl it around. Gave you a bleeding sharp point for fine line work on drawings and sketches."
"It's a ladder jack. They hook onto the rungs of a ladder such that with a pair of ladders and ladder jacks, you can put a plank between them as a work platform."
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