35 Times People Seeked Help In This Online Community To Identify Mysterious Objects

Published 1 month ago

In the vast expanse of the internet, there exists a multitude of online communities dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of the world around us. From deciphering cryptic symbols to identifying obscure artifacts, these digital forums serve as virtual laboratories where curious minds converge to shed light on the enigmatic.

One such corner of cyberspace is the “What Is This Thing?” community, where users seek assistance in identifying perplexing objects that defy conventional explanations. Let’s delve into some intriguing instances where individuals turned to this online haven in pursuit of answers.

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#1 I Found This Blue Disc In A Packet Of Sour Cream Crisps. Its Has The Words “Ferrous 25mm Bst, Cert Number 213026b” On It. What Is This Thing?

Image source: scary2020

Answer: It’s a testing chip. It goes through the metal detectors to ensure they’re working. There’s a problem here though. You send X number of testers you get X number back. If you get X-1 or some other number you stop the line until you find your chip. The entire purpose of the test is to make sure that stuff like this–which is supposed to simulate a foreign object–does not get through. There’s usually paperwork to document this. Write to the outfit and tell them what you found and rest assured there will be a s**tstorm on the other end.

#2 What Are These Blue Reflecting Markers For? Mounted On A Pole, Facing The Field

Image source: Z1337M

Answer: They are reflecting the headlights of cars to the fields, so that deer avoids crossing the road. So it’s for safety of cars and animals.

#3 What Is The Point Of Such A Device?

Image source: reddit.com

Answer: USB charging condom. This way you can plug your phone into a random USB port and be sure that no data is exchanged. Only the power pins are passed through to the phone. Also called a sync stop.

#4 What Are These For In An Outdoor Area Of A Hospital?

Image source: chashaoballs

Answer: These are emergency showers. An affected person (chemical spills, laboratory mishaps, etc) will pull the level on the top and tepid water (OSHA defined between 60F and 100F) will douse the affected from the shower head (above) and boot sprayer (below). The duration of these showers is required to be 15 full minutes at approximately 20 PSI. Source: I design these systems.

#5 Found This On The Side Of The Road In My Neighborhood. Thought It Was A Brain, Then Dissected It And Now I Have No Idea. Lots Of Small Lobes, Fuzzy Inside, Rubbery?

Image source: Godbleththismeth

Answer: You my friend, have just dissected dog poop. Someone’s dog has eaten paper towels in abundance. They can’t digest it and it comes out like this.

#6 Posts With Nets On Top On Side Of Street In The Netherlands

Image source: gng3quionbve4

Answer: these are to help bats orientate themselves, until the trees are larger. Did they recently cut down trees along this road? Bats need to hear reflection of their sound to know where they are going. These things will replace the leaves in that.

#7 What Is This Ring My Uber Driver Would Randomly Click?

Image source: DannyMThompson

Answer: Hes praying, thats a counter. The prayer involves repeating a phrase a certain number of times. Traditionally you kept track on your fingers or with a string of beads. This device does the same job.

#8 I Saw This In My Yard. Is This Just A Type Of Worm? Or Is There A Parasite On It? (I Saw It Breathing/Have Some Sort Of Heartbeat, So It’s Alive)

Image source: reddit.com

Answer: that’s two worms making more worms.

#9 Object Found While Hiking Off-Road In Bosnia. Notice The Spikes Near The End! Wondering What It Is

Image source: FreezeHuddle

Answer: DON’T GO HIKING IN BOSNIA IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE ARE YOU GOING. it is full of unmarked mine fields.

#10 My Girlfriend’s House Has This Panel Next To The Basement Door That Lights Up Whenever The Basement Light Is On. Why?

Image source: pippiethehippie

Answer: It’s to tell you that the basement light is on.

#11 Thin Slabs Of Ivory With Days Of The Week On The Top Found In My Closet. What Is This Thing?

Image source: mickbruh

Answer: Fabulous antique early Victorian chatelaine aide memoir from mid 1800s. Made of sheets of bone, it would have hung on a lady’s chatalaine chain or been kept securely in her pocket and she would have used it to make note and appointments for the week to come. It has 6 pages for the days Monday to Saturday, of course a lady would never have made appointments on a Sunday

#12 Tooth? Found At Myrtle Beach, Sc

Image source: rinpiels

Answer: that’s a broken megalodon tooth.

#13 Came Across This While Hiking Behind An Old Mine In Southwestern Pennsylvania. Several Miles Off Of The Old Access Road. Appears 40 Feet Long, Nothing Written On It, Appears Nothing Is Inside Of It. 25 Feet Or So Off Of The Ground. No Sign Of Life Around It For Miles

Image source: Ok_Olive_6733

Answer: That, my friend, is the daddy of all deer stands.

#14 Found On Counter In Medical Exam Room: String Of Plastic Numbered Oval Beads. My Own Doc Had No Idea. Pen For Scale

Image source: harpejjist

Answer: orchidometer. Used for sizing testicles.

#15 Old Ruler. I Don’t Know How It Is Used Or What Does It Measure

Image source: anewerab

Answer: Slide rule, logarithmic calculating device. These put humans on the moon.

#16 Ok, I Know It’s A Chair, But What’s With The Extended Arms?

Image source: Chwk540

Answer: It looks like a plantation/planters chair. You’d put your sore swollen legs up on the arms after sitting on a horse all day, like a pregnant woman with her legs up in the same fashion. This is why the back is so sloped as well. If you sit up straight it wouldn’t be comfortable to put your legs up like that, but in a reclined position it’s good for blood flow and air flow.

#17 Found This Glass Like Tube “Shell” Washed Up On A Beach In North Carolina, Any Idea What It Is?

Image source: OpenMagazine8906

Answer: Stingray teeth.

#18 My Security Camera Caught This Individual With A Large Device, Possibly Scanning For Something? The Individual Noticed The Camera And Changed Their Mind It Seems, But What Have They Got And What Are They Doing?

Image source: SandipJB

Answer: this person is probably a car thief scanning for keyless car keys. . never leave them near windows and doors.

#19 Iron Cone On Either Side Of A Gate Outside The Entry To A Building In Bath England

Image source: pepperjobe21

Answer: It’s a snuffer. A visitor to your house would use it to put out their torch.

#20 This Structure I Found While Walking In The Woods, The Metal Bit Is About 2 Feet Wide And Looks Like It Could Uncomfortably Fit A Person In It. My Guesses Are A Well, Sewer Or Time Capsule. For Context I Live In Eastern Massachusetts. We Plan On Going Back To Open It

Image source: Darkstalkker

Answer: Definitely a man hole. Do not open it. DEFINITELY DO NOT GO IN IT! Manholes are notoriously deadly because they contain low oxygen percentages and high concentrations of poisonous gases such as hydrogen sulfide and methane. First responders usually find two dead people in manholes – the first one that went in and succumbed and their friend who watched them pass out and rushes in to help.

#21 This Belonged To My Great Grandfather. What Is This Thing?

Image source: Reverend_Mikey

Answer: If it’s legit, that’s a really old Gibson, from between 1903 and 1933. It’s going to be worth more than you think, so be really careful with it. Seriously.

#22 IKEA Coffee Mug, What Is The Thing At The Bottom?

Image source: HR_92

Answer: So water doesn’t stay on the bottom if you put the mug in the dishwasher and stops wet mugs suctioning themselves to coasters. Pretty clever design actually.

#23 Glass Items Seen At Yard Sale. They Aren’t Doorknobs And Some Look Like One Solid Piece?

Image source: archofimagine

Answer: Knife rests.

#24 Help Identify What These Are And What They Were Used For? Passed Down By Family – UK

Image source: Haylez116

Answer: An apprentice final piece before becoming a journey man engraver.

#25 Grandmother Received This From Her Friend After His Death. Nobody At The Senior’s Center She Lives At Knows What It Is. What Is This Thing?

Image source: wetbutter

Answer: Opium pipe.

#26 This Was Found By A Cleaner Hidden Under My Dresser In My Bedroom (She Told Me Very Discreetly About This Which Has Me Concerned), I’ve Tried To Google It To No Avail. What Is This Thing?

Image source: M-I-G-Y

Answer: voice recorder, doesn’t transmit using wireless though so whoever placed this thing, will be back. If this was in your home, chances are there are cameras as well.

#27 What Is This Thing In My Classroom? Makes Subtle Fan-Like Sounds And Changes Colour On Top

Image source: Potetbror

Answer: AV1 is a personal avatar for children suffering from long-term illness, helping them to continue their education and maintain the normality of daily life despite no longer being able to access mainstream education. Through an app, the user can remotely log into the class from their home or hospital. Looking through the robots eyes, the child can watch the lesson, through the robot’s ears they can hear greetings from their friends and they can speak through the robot to interact with the rest of the class.

#28 Found This White Fuzzy Thing In My Basement, Mother Freaked Out. What Is This Thing?

Image source: reddit.com

Answer: Spiders infected with fungus look like this.

#29 My Mom And Dad Were Doing Some Landscaping In The Backyard And Found This Weird Slate With Writing Etched Into It. The Months Are Spelled Out And The Year States 1827. This Was Located In Southern Missouri

Image source: AppleTangoMike

Answer: a practice gravestone scrap. Someone who carved gravestones would practice engraving lettering and drawings on this broken piece of stone.

#30 This Sticker On The Inside Cover Of A Second-Hand Bible. Pretty Sure It Depicts A Partridge And A Fig Tree, Both Of Which Have Biblical Connections But No Idea What It Means

Image source: alongyourfuselage

Answer: No Bush/Quail. 1992 election sticker.

#31 This Weird Wrapped Car. The Lights Were Wrapped In Cloth. Serial Numbers All Around. Anything Significant Or Just Tacky?

Image source: NotoriousJB

Answer: It obscures the car while being test driven, so the yet-to-be-released models are not photographed and published. The random “wave” patterns effectively hide the body contours and lines.

#32 What Is This Big Hole That Is Usually Found On Milk Cartons?

Image source: Daniel_Min

Answer: It’s a pressure relief hole. If you dropped it, instead of exploding, the hole would pop out.

#33 I Found This Metal Object. No Text Or Numbers. Can Retract To Be The Size Of A Bracelet. What Is This Thing?

Image source: s1l4z_behr

Answer: It’s the top (closure part) of a purse or small handbag.

#34 This… Thing… Showed Up Inside The Humid Jar Of My Carnivorous Plants. What Is This Thing?

Image source: dr_rentschler

#35 Found This In House I’m Tearing Apart In A Book Like Someone Wanted To Keep Them Don’t Think It’s Real Money

Image source: zangoku

Answer: Its money from the Philippines when it was occupied by Japan in 1941.

Saumya Ratan

Saumya is an explorer of all things beautiful, quirky, and heartwarming. With her knack for art, design, photography, fun trivia, and internet humor, she takes you on a journey through the lighter side of pop culture.

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identifying odd things, Odd Things, strange things, weird things, what is this thing, What is This Thing subreddit
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