16 Internet Users Discovered Something Mysterious but Found the Answer Thanks to Random People

There are many items and tools from the past that we don’t use today. And while they might have been useful back then, and very much appreciated, many of us youngsters don’t know what their purpose is. And the same goes for newly invented gadgets. Nowadays, there are so many of them that it’s hard to keep track.

We at Bright Side love to learn new things and the subreddit What Is This Thing is one of our favorite places to explore new mysterious objects.

1. This was found in an old toolbox. It’s orange. It’s very elastic and very sticky.

Answer: It’s Spiky Glove. It stimulates the senses and provides stress relief for children when their emotions threaten to overwhelm them.

2. “Thumb protector, possibly, but for what? Found at a yard sale.”

Answer: It’s an antique butcher thumb guard.

3. “Hotel room bed leg has a red flashing light coming from a rubber piece...”

Answer: It’s a mesh bed bug detector.

4. “Found on the dashboard of an old GMC. A Lucite-like material, with ridges.”

Answer: It’s a traffic light viewer. Traffic lights back in the day were mounted on the same side you stopped on, which sometimes made it difficult to see the light if you were first in line. This helped reflect the light from above, so you could tell when the light changed.

5. “4 m high funnel with 3 outlets near a playground in Germany.”

Answer: It’s a 3-way basketball hoop. You can score, but you don’t know who gets the ball next. The kids love it.

6. “Metal object, carabiner attached, appeared in my backyard, left behind by either landscapers or pool guy.”

Answer: It’s for opening your pool pump lid. I actually have used it, used to sell pool supplies.

7. “Found at my house after a 4th of July party. The black part is plastic with a detachable metal cap.”

Answer: It is the bottom of a handle for (likely) a metal utensil of some sort. I have a set with a spatula, ladle, spoon, ice cream scoop, and pizza cutter that have ALL started to have their bases fall out over time.

8. “I found this in a parking lot where the taxis usually park outside of a train station. The small round circle on top is a magnet.”

Answer: This is a ball mark fixer for golfing. The 2 prongs go into the ground to lift the green where your golf ball made its initial crater. The magnetic coin (yours is missing) is, so you can mark your golf ball on the green, so others can putt without your ball in the way.

9. “What are these metal curved ornamental rods?”

Answer: Fancy bookmarks.

10. “Little door/cupboard next to our side door leading down to the basement. The house was built in the late 1940s.”

Answer: When milk used to get delivered, it was put in there.

11. “The text suggests that it might be a bag, but I can’t seem to make it work as a bag as there are a lot of holes which might cause everything to drop.”

Answer: It’s a suitcase cover.

12. “What is this silver metal thing with a narrow bridge and spoon-like end?”

Answer: Ear cleaners, use them to scoop wax. They are more common in eastern countries.

13. “My friend has found a bunch of these weird little plastic things while cleaning up the beaches in Maine. We have no clue what they are.”

Answer: These are aquarium filters.

14. “What are these objects on the straps of my rucksack for?”

Answer: It’s used to pull and to make a more relaxing/convenient way to walk when you put your thumbs in.

15. “What is this thing? A metallic tool that looks fairly new. I’d like to know what it is used for.”

Answer: It’s a holder for a sugar cone.

16. “This is a steel wire frame with 2 glass marbles. It was found in an old garage among various stuff. The marbles can turn inside the frame.”

Answer: It’s a razor blade sharpener.

Do you have an item at home that you don’t know the purpose of? Share a picture with us in the comments, and maybe our readers can help you identify it.