From the secret color codes of bread tags to tricks to get ketchup out of the bottle,
today we look at 15 Things You Didn't Know About Everyday Objects!
Number 15.
Tire Wear Indicator Having a tire blowout is a pretty scary concept,
especially if you’re on the freeway or otherwise driving at high speeds.
However, this doesn't happen pretty regularly, it can cause the driver to spin out of control
and harm themselves, their passengers, or other drivers.
This is why it’s important to check the wear on your tires regularly - to be sure
that they are still reliable and safe.
This might be hard though, especially if you’re not very car savvy.
Lucky tire manufacturers have included a tool to help you.
If you look between the tread sections on your tire, you’ll see little rubber bridges.
These are called Tire Wear Bars, and they are there to help you figure out how much
tread you have left.
If the bar is flush with the rest of your tread, it’s time to get new tires.
Number 14.
Beanie With Pom Pom Although it’s now the start of summer and
those long, cold winter nights seem firmly in the past, you may have never taken the
time to consider why that favorite winter cap of yours has that strange puff ball of
fabric on top.
Sure, now it’s just part of the decoration which comes with the season, but did you know
that it actually has a pretty long, somewhat unusual history?
For instance, can you imagine that the pom poms we wear on our beanies actually originated
with the Vikings?
It’s true - Viking gods were commonly depicted with hats sporting a puff ball, and the Vikings
themselves wore such hats.
Armies throughout history have also worn pom poms atop their hats, and the color and size
has even been used to denote rank and position.
They were even worn by sailors throughout history, and one possible reason was that
the large ball of fabric would help cushion the blow if you hit your head while belowdecks
in the dark.
Number 13.
Bread Tag Color Have you ever noticed that the tag on your
store bought bag of bread has a different color than some of the other bags?
If so, you probably just thought that this was a manufacturing quirk with no real significance.
You’re wrong, though - the color of the tag has a very specific meaning, and it will
likely save you some money.
The tags are a system, and they indicate which day of the week the bread was baked on.
Blue is for Monday, Green is for Tuesday, Red is for Thursday, White is Friday, and
Yellow is Saturday.
There are no bread deliveries on Wednesday or Sunday.
The easiest way to remember this color system is that they are assigned alphabetically according
to the name of the color.
Number 12.
Diamond Pattern On Backpacks If you have children or recently were a child,
it’s likely you remember seeing backpacks with that strange leather diamond shape on
the front.
It’s usually about two inches tall and features a couple of small slits which kind of make
it look like a pig’s nose.
Like most people, probably just thought it was there for decoration - some weird trend
that for some reason kids love, and so it ended up on every backpack.
It actually has a much more practical use, though.
It’s called a lash tab, and its primary use is to allow you to strap things to your
backpack.
Whether it’s a pair of running shoes, a carabiner, a water bottle, you name it - the
lash tab is there so that you can strap some cargo to your backpack and keep your hands
free.
Number 11.
Pen Cap Hole Ballpoint pens are one of the most common
items we all tend to lose.
It seems like you can’t use one more than a few times without it going missing.
But last time you used one, did you stop to wonder why the cap has a hole in it?
Maybe you did and you thought it was some kind of a manufacturing defect, but most likely
you didn’t notice it at all.
It turns out that while the pen itself often goes missing, the cap is frequently chewed
on and more than anyone would like to admit, it end up going down the throat accidentally.
This is especially true amongst children, and there were many deaths as a result.
Pen manufacturers took it upon themselves to try and stop this sad accident from happening,
and put a hole in the top of the cap so that if it does get lodged in your throat, there’s
a good chance air will still be able to pass through.
This little feature has saved tons of lives.
Number 10.
Heinz Ketchup Bottle We all love ketchup.
It’s great for just about everything - from coating your hot dogs and hamburgers to dipping
your chicken tenders and fries.
And Heinz is definitely our favorite - when it comes to ketchup, Heinz is the brand you
buy.
But there’s one problem with ketchup we all know about and try not to talk about.
That is, getting the sweet, delicious ketchup out of the glass bottle.
It can be a challenge, and if you’ve ever whacked the bottom of the bottle repeatedly
only to have your eggs, toast, bacon, and shirt covered in red condiment, you know how
frustrating it can be.
But Heinz figured this out a long time ago and put something there to help you.
If you look on the glass bottle, just to the right of the label and about halfway down
the bottle, you’ll see the number 57 embossed into the glass.
If you give the bottle a firm tap right on that spot, your ketchup will come out without
issue.
Number 9.
Magnetic Gas Pump If you’re a connoisseur of fail videos on
YouTube, you’ve likely seen what happens when someone forgets that they’ve left the
gas pump in their car and tries to drive away with it.
The hose rips off and they look like an idiot as they drive away with the nozzle and hose
trailing from behind them.
But you may not realize that the gas pump was actually specifically designed to break
off this way.
You see, this situation happens so frequently that pump manufacturers installed magnetic
joiners where the hose attaches to the pump.
This way, if the driver forgets and drives off with the nozzle still in their car, the
hose just rips off instead of the whole pump coming down and causing an explosion.
You’re still likely to do some damage though, so don’t forget to take that nozzle out.
Number 8.
Padlock Hole Padlocks are one of those things almost everyone
uses but no one thinks about.
When it works it’s great, and when it doesn’t work you’re too busy worrying about the
stuff you’re now missing.
But for those who do pay attention, you’ll notice that many high end locks have a little
hole next to where the key goes in on the bottom.
Some have speculated that this is some kind of master access put there by the factory,
or that you can stick a pin inside it and pick the lock open.
Neither of these are correct, however.
The hole is actually there to act as a drain of sorts - if water gets into the lock (say,
during a storm) and freezes and otherwise becomes trapped, it can damage the lock.
This little hole allows the liquid to safely drain out.
As a bonus, it can also be used to oil the lock’s mechanism.
And no, you’re not going to be picking the lock through that hole, sorry.
Number 7.
Soda Can Tab Hole If you’ve ever tried to use a straw in a
can of soda, you know that it’s basically hopeless.
The straw always seems to just float up and fall out of the can - you can’t keep it
in place to save your life.
It may surprise you to find, though, that soda makers know about this issue and have
already fixed it for you, but you just didn’t know about it.
If you turn the pop tab around so that it’s over the drink hole, you’ll find that the
hole in the tab lines up perfectly with the hole in the top of the can.
This isn’t an accident - it’s done that way so that you can pass a straw through it.
The tab hole will hold the straw in place and prevent it from falling out of the can.
Number 6.
Beer Bottle Color As summer rolls around, it’s likely you’ll
be throwing back a few cold ones on these hot days.
But as you do so, pay attention to the color of the bottle.
Did you know that it actually means something, and it’s done that specific way for a reason?
It’s not just decoration - the specific color of your beer bottle is chosen by the
brewer to keep that particular brand of beer fresher for longer.
You see, the different colors of glass let in certain kinds of light and filter out others,
and this has everything to do with how long your beer stays fresh.
If too much light gets in, your beer goes skunky.
Green and brown glass helps to filter out that light and prevent that from happening.
Number 5.
Gas Cap Indicator Next time you’re in your car, take a close
look at your gas gauge.
You probably think you don’t need to look because you see it every time you drive - you
check your fuel level, after all, right?
But just go ahead and take another look.
Do you see that little arrow next to the gas pump icon?
You’ve probably never noticed that before, huh?
But do you know what it’s for?
It’s actually a very useful little icon to have - because it tells you on which side
of the car your gas cap is located.
That’s right - no more forgetting and ending up having to get back in your car and look
like an idiot as you quickly turn around.
Just glance at that arrow, and you’re good to go.
Number 4.
Power Cord Cylinders Have you ever noticed the weird plastic cylinder
which sits on most laptop chargers, router power cables, and other electronic power adapters?
If you have, you may have wondered what it’s there for.
It’s not just decoration - that little plastic lump is called a ferrite bead, and it’s
actually pretty important.
It works as a suppressor for electromagnetic interference between cables.
If you didn’t have this device, you’d get interference which could mess with the
device.
A great way to see this in action is to have a bunch of unshielded cables right next to
your computer speakers - you’ll get some very annoying audio feedback periodically.
Number 3.
Elevator Door Hole Have you ever noticed the strange little hole
usually located in the upper middle portion of one of an elevator’s set of doors?
If you have, you might think that it’s just a peephole of some kind, similar to what you’d
find in the door of most modern houses.
This isn’t true, however - the hole isn’t a peephole at all.
It’s actually a keyhole, and it’s shaped that way because the key is special and in
the hands of the building’s staff.
It’s an emergency access hole, specifically placed there in case the doors need to be
opened manually.
The interesting thing about this keyhole is that it will open up the doors no matter what
- regardless of if the elevator is actually waiting on the other side or not.
Number 2.
The Plunger Your standard mental image of a plunger is
actually not the one you’re supposed to use on your toilet.
Let that sink in for a moment - you’ve been using the wrong plunger this whole time.
It’s true, oddly enough.
The standard cup plunger is actually not the correct one for use in your toilet - it’s
meant for a sink.
The real plunger you should be using on your toilet is called either a Flange Plunger or
just a Toilet Plunger, depending on where you go.
There’s a third kind too, and it can be used in either situation, as well as others.
This is called an Accordion Plunger.
Number 1.
Holding A Beer If someone came up to you at the bar and told
you that you’re holding your beer wrong, you’d probably tell them to get lost.
But there’s actually something to it, if you can resist the urge to punch the guy long
enough to listen.
You see, beer bottles are shaped the way they are so that you can hold them by the neck.
This prevents your hands from warming the bottle up as you hold it, and thereby keeps
the drink colder for longer.
No one likes a warm beer, so give it a try next time.
Hold your beer bottle by the neck, and see if it keeps that icy cold freshness longer
than it would have otherwise.