The internet is an amazing place when it comes to the power of collective knowledge. Sometimes, no matter how detailed your Google search is, the answer you’re looking for just doesn’t pop up. That’s where online communities come to the rescue. One such community, the subreddit ‘What Is This Thing?’, has made a name for itself by helping users identify the most peculiar objects. This subreddit is home to over 2.3 million members who are always eager to solve the mystery of the unknown.

The premise is simple: someone uploads a photo of an unidentifiable object, and the community jumps in with suggestions. Eventually, someone with the right expertise or knowledge identifies it correctly. It’s like a game of detective work, and even if you’re just browsing, it’s an entertaining way to test your own knowledge.

Let’s dive into 35 times when people online were way better than Google at identifying mysterious objects.

#1 Strange Metal Thing On The Bottom Of My Driver’s Side

Answer: That’s part of a car lift! You should probably check with your mechanic—they’re going to want that back.

#2 Metal Piece Attached To A Wall In A WC In My Airbnb in France

Answer: It’s a magazine rack, but it’s been installed upside down. Whoever decorated the Airbnb probably didn’t pay much attention to detail.

#3 Low Faucets and Drain in a Restroom

Answer: This setup is designed for Muslims to wash their feet before prayer. It’s much safer and cleaner than trying to wash feet in a standard-height sink.

#4 Round Shelf Under a Table

Answer: It’s a handy beer holder! Perfect for playing cards and keeping your drink within arm’s reach.

#5 Semi-Circle Wires with Beads on a Wooden Plank

Answer: This is a Himalayan Calendar. Each bead represents a month or a day, and the rings allow users to track the year, day, and month.

#6 Hard, Waxy Blob Found During Low Tide

Answer: That’s whale vomit, or ambergris. Believe it or not, it’s used in high-end perfumes and can be worth a small fortune.

#7 Barrel-Like Carrier

Answer: It’s called a Vasculum, a tool used by botanists to collect and protect plant specimens during fieldwork.

#8 Steel Hooked Tool Hidden in a House Foundation

Answer: This is a horse hoof cleaning tool. Interestingly, burying iron objects like this in the foundation of a house used to be considered good luck.

#9 Small Terra Cotta Object

Answer: It’s a sugar saver. You place it with brown sugar to keep it from drying out and forming clumps.

#10 Spoon with Tong Attachment

Answer: That’s a “cuillère dégraisseuse,” a special spoon used to skim fat from sauces.

#11 Bright Green Liquid Inside a Screw-Cap Object Found on a Beach

Answer: This is a diver rescue marker. It’s used in emergency situations to dye the surrounding water, making the diver visible to rescuers.

#12 Wall-Mounted Metal Thing in Hohensalzburg Fortress

Answer: These are old radiators. They were filled with hot stones or embers to heat the room.

#13 Cast Aluminum Plaque

Answer: Likely related to horse breeding, with the sire and dam (parents) names inscribed at the bottom.

#14 Heavy, Brass Object in a Kitchen Junk Drawer

Answer: A telephone dialer! You use the ball to turn the dial instead of your finger on rotary phones.

#15 Oval Metal Object Mounted to a Kitchen Wall

Answer: That’s a stainless steel soap bar. It removes strong odors like garlic or onion from your hands when you wash with it.

#16 Mercury Dime Turned Into a Spoon

Answer: It’s a vintage spoon pendant, often used for substances back in the day.

#17 Plastic Object with a Pointed End

Answer: A page spreader for reading. It helps hold a book open with one hand.

#18 Heavy Metal Objects from a Thrift Store

Answer: These are weights for mechanical cuckoo clocks. They power the clock’s mechanisms as the chain drops.

#19 Tiny Plastic Bubble Inside Nike Box

Answer: It’s an example of microplastic particles, likely included as part of a marketing campaign about environmental awareness.

#20 Brass Object with Weird Spouts

Answer: It’s an oil lamp. You fill it with oil, insert the wick into the spout, and light it.

#21 Antique Silver “Locket”

Answer: It’s actually a small purse. It could hold a few coins, some makeup, and calling cards.

#22 Metal Coil That Plugs Into an Outlet

Answer: That’s an immersion heater. You place it into a cup of water to heat it directly.

#23 Spiked Metal Collar Found in Spain

Answer: This is an anti-wolf collar used for sheepdogs, designed to protect them from predator attacks.

#24 Small Trailer with Individual Openings

Answer: It’s a pigeon racing trailer, used to transport racing pigeons to competitions.

#25 Cabinet on Wheels with Key Hooks Inside

Answer: A scientific specimen cabinet, often used for organizing geological or entomological specimens.

#26 Gold Plated Speaker with Opal-Like Clip

Answer: An old Beltone hearing aid, with a clip that holds a tiny transistor.

#27 Wooden Block with Metal Fins

Answer: A cabbage slicer used for making sauerkraut.

#28 Hook Found Buried in a Hutch

Answer: It’s a butter curler, used for making decorative butter shapes.

#29 Knit Tubes

Answer: They’re chair socks! You slip them on chair legs to prevent floor scratches.

#30 Black Paper Strips Found in a Safe

Answer: Likely part of a “Black Money Scam,” where victims are convinced the strips can be converted into legitimate currency.

#31 Plastic Ring with Metal Claws

Answer: A tool for pulling in fishing nets.

#32 Jar with Light Objects Inside

Answer: Those look like silkworm cocoons.

#33 Wavy Pattern on the Back of a Mail Envelope

Answer: It’s an obfuscation pattern, designed to hide sensitive information.

#34 Plastic Device with a Blade

Answer: It’s a tool for cutting a notch in floppy disks to make them double-sided.

#35 Wrought Iron Poles in London

Answer: Early 19th-century gas lamps. The gas was piped up through the pole to light the lamps.

Conclusion

When Google can’t help, the people of the internet can. The subreddit ‘What Is This Thing?’ showcases the collective knowledge of people across the globe, solving everyday mysteries that even the most sophisticated search engines can’t. From strange metal gadgets to obscure historical items, this community has become a treasure trove of knowledge for the curious.