Pen Caps
Pen caps are items we handle literally every day at home, at work, or at school. And, we all know their purpose: to keep the pen from drying out. But what exactly is the point of that hole at the top that most pen caps have?
Many people think that the hole might actually lead to the pen drying out, but that’s not the case at all. Also, it is not there to put delicate pressure on the pen to keep it from exploding in your hand, unlike popular belief. It is actually there to keep children safe! Many kids put them in their mouths, and should any of them end up swallowing the cap by accident, the hole at the top can prevent suffocation by letting air through.
Plane Windows
This is something that not many people notice, but when they do, it is very common for them to freak out. Why in the world would there be a tiny hole in the airplane window? Does this mean that the window is about to break and the plane is going to go down? No, don’t worry, it’s actually the opposite.
In fact, the hole is there to regulate the extreme difference in pressure between the inside and the outside of the airplane. Without that hole, everyone would be in serious trouble, because air pressure is vital to keep the plane in the air. So, next time you see it, be glad it’s there.
Extra Fabric
Although this is not true for all pieces of clothing, it is not uncommon to find an extra piece of fabric or a button or two with our new clothes. But why is it that the manufacturers are so kind as to give us that extra fabric? Contrary to popular belief, it is not to patch it up if it rips.
The truth is that they give you that extra piece of fabric in order for you to test fabric softener or detergent on it to see if it works well or if it ruins the garment, so as to avoid ruining your entire new purchase. It’s actually genius, but since most people don’t know about it, many clothes are probably ruined anyway.
Jean Pockets
Jean pockets are a true mystery. First of all, it is a known fact that men’s jeans have bigger, more useful pockets than women’s jeans, and sometimes women’s pants don’t even come with pockets at all! Or even worse, they come with fake pockets. However, that one tiny pocket most jeans have is not one of them.
That little pocket within the real pocket on your jeans has actually been part of the design of jeans since they were first invented. At that time, most men had pocket watches, and the little pocket was made for them. Over the years, the design remained the same, even though we don’t use pocket watches anymore.
Jean Studs
Oh, you thought we were done with jeans? We’re happy to inform you that this classic piece of clothing has even more fun facts to offer, and it is all related to the history of jeans. You might have also noticed that jeans have little studs here and there, and in fact, they’re placed in strategic places.
As you may know, jeans were invented for workers to provide them with a strong piece of clothing that would withstand all the hard labor they would do every day. The studs were made of copper, and were placed right on the spots were pants would mostly rip, in order to keep them together.
Converse Shoes
The Converse All Star shoes are a staple of everyone’s closets. These shoes have been extremely popular for both men and women of all ages all over the world, so if you don’t own a pair, you’ve at least seen many people wear them. But have you ever noticed the two holes on the sides of the shoes?
Because they look like the same holes you use for laces, many people think that somehow they’re made for an extra pair of laces, but that makes no sense, doesn’t it? The truth is surprisingly obvious: they’re there for ventilation. Because the fabric is not breathable, the shoes provide some air to the feet.
Tape Measures
Tape measures are fantastic items that help make our lives a little easier. There is no home repair that can be done or at least improved with a tape measure, and it’s also an object whose use is pretty straightforward. But did you ever wonder why there is a hole at the end of it? Well, we’ve got the answer for you.
There is a hole at the end of it that is made to fit over the head of a nail or screw. This will fix the tape measure in place while you pull it and help give you a straight line of measurement. So next time you’re using one, remember this awesome tip!
Tape Measures II
Oh, but we’re not done here! These little guys are perfectly designed to give users the best experience, yet nobody knows about all these details that make tape measures so special. Now, around the hole we mentioned before, there is a jagged edge, right? Well, it has a special purpose as well.
This jagged part is there for you to gently mark up the wall to know where you started measuring, in case you don’t have anything else to mark your starting point, like a pencil or a nail. Clearly, the inventors of the tape measure thought of everything.
Pot Handles
Pots come in all shapes and sizes, all perfectly designed to cook specific meals. Although not all pot handles are like this one, it is still worth pointing out that this is the best version of the cooking pot that there is out there. We’re talking about pot handles with a hole in them, and here’s why they’re the best.
As you can clearly see in the picture, that hole is made to hold the wooden spoon you’re using to cook. This way, not only is it near the pot but it also minimizes the mess and makes the whole cooking session much cleaner and easier.
Pasta Spoons
Since we’re on the topic of cooking, let’s talk about another kitchen essential: the pasta spoon. Everyone has one in their kitchen, but not many people understand why there is a hole in the middle of it. But worry not, cause today we’ve got the answer for you.
The hole in the pasta spoon is specifically designed to measure out a serving of spaghetti for exactly one person. This is kind of controversial, however, because most of us would eat much more pasta than what fits in that hole, but apparently, this is the exact amount of spaghetti you should be eating.
Gas Gauges
Have you ever noticed that there is a little arrow right next to the gas gauge? If you haven’t, check again, because it might save you some time on your next trip to the gas station. Although it looks like a simple design, it actually has a purpose.
The point of the arrow is to show you what side your gas tank is! So, if the arrow is on the left, then the gas cap is on the left, and the same goes for the right. Now that you know this, you don’t have to walk around your car to see on what side it is.
Bobby Pins
Bobby pins are one of those things that everybody has laying around the house and that everyone needs to use at some point. However, chances are that you’ve been using them wrong all your life. Most people would put the smooth side at the bottom and the rough side at the top, but that is actually the opposite of what you should be doing.
The point of the grooved part is to grip the hair better, while the smooth side is meant to look more aesthetically pleasing and go unnoticed over dark hair. Now that you know the truth, you can finally start using bobby pins correctly. Congrats!
Padlocks
Padlocks are a great invention to keep our stuff safe. However, that hole that they have at the bottom makes people kind of uneasy. Is it like, some mechanism to open the padlock? No, that’s just a myth. In fact, the hole is there to make the padlock even safer.
In fact, the hole has two purposes. The first one is to let water run through to prevent rusting when the padlock is exposed to rain. The second one is to also let oil flow through and go into the lock to keep it in shape and make it last longer.
Cables
You probably have many cables all over your house, right? Well, how many of them have those chunky parts in the middle? Probably several of them. Those things sure are an eyesore, but there’s a reason why they’re there, and no, it’s not to make cables look even uglier than they already are.
Believe it or not, they are essential to make cables function correctly because they are filled with magnetic iron oxide. This suppresses high-frequency electromagnetic interference much faster. That’s what you hear when your phone is too close to a speaker and makes a strange noise, by the way.
Box Cutters
Box cutters, also known as utility knives, belong in every household because they have many purposes. For example, have you noticed those lines that are on the blade? They’re not there as a design; they’re there because you can break the blade off piece by piece to reveal a new fresh blade.
If you’re looking forward to trying this, be careful, and don’t do it with your fingers! Just slide the blade forward, remove the back cap, and use it to break off the blade so you don’t hurt yourself.
J and F Keys
Some keyboard designers had the fantastic idea to put a line on the J and F keys on their keyboards to make the typing experience much more efficient for users. Although not all keyboards have them, they definitely should. If you type without looking at your keyboard, this will actually help you.
In the ten-finger typing method, both of your index fingers rest over these two keys, so by having lines on both of them, you can feel them with your fingers and know exactly where your fingers are positioned. This will help you avoid making typos and make you type faster.
Medicine Tubes
You know that some medicine tubes have a spike in their caps, right? It is not a decorative spike, though. Like everything on this list, the spike has a purpose, and it is actually a very helpful one. Most tubes come sealed so no product is wasted, but sometimes, when we try to break it open, we end up wasting product, ironically.
That is why that spike in the cap of the tube exists. It is perfectly designed to fit the top of the tube and break the seal without wasting any of the good stuff that is inside and making a mess everywhere. If only they did this for more than just medicine!
Rulers
Many rulers, especially the ones on the bigger side, have holes in them. Although their purpose isn’t really that useful nowadays, it has been a part of the design of rulers since the beginning of time. The reason why rulers have a hole in them is to hang them on the wall…yeah.
This is very useful for those people who use rulers a lot and (for some reason) want to hang it on the wall instead of, say, keeping them in a drawer or in a pencil holder. But hey, we’re not here to judge, and if you want to hang your ruler now that you know what the hole is for, go for it.
Apple Chargers
You can get Apple chargers that have wings in them. And no, they’re not there to make the charger stand out, or make it look like it has a couple of tiny little legs. The wings are there to help you be more organized with your cables and also keep them from breaking or getting damaged.
To use the wings, you should wrap the cable around the power block itself, starting from the thicker part, and then taking the thinner part and wrapping it around the wings. This way, your cables are secured and organized, and you don’t have to worry about anything happening to them.
Iphone Cameras
Well, since we’re on the topic, let’s talk about another great design made by Apple: the iPhone camera. As you can see in the picture, iPhones have a small circle right next to the camera, but what does it do, exactly? It isn’t a second lense, nor is it part of the flash or anything like that.
The tiny dot next to the camera is actually a microphone, believe it or not. When you use your back camera to make videos, that microphone is what captures all the sound. This helps the video have a much better sound quality than if it used the microphone at the bottom of the phone, which is the one you use during calls.
Tic Tacs
If you don’t know this already, this will blow your mind. You know that Tic Tac boxes have a weird shape on the lid, right? Well, that little thing is shaped to fit a Tic Tac, so you can guess where this is going: it’s a dispenser. You can tip the box over when you want one, and the Tic Tac will fall right inside the lid.
This will be useful to those with self-control, but the hard truth is that nobody in this world has one Tic Tac at a time. What most people do is get two or three at a time, or just fill their mouth with as many as they can fit. This, however, may help your practice some moderation techniques.
Plastic Bottle Caps
You have probably noticed at some point, that plastic bottle caps have a little plastic disc inside. What do you think it’s for? Contrary to popular belief, it has nothing to do with helping the bottle close. In fact, removing the disc will not change anything in that regard.
The plastic disc is there to hold the carbonation of soda in place. Without the disc, the soda would be completely flat when you open the bottle to drink it. As you can tell by now, this tiny little disc is essential because, without it, all our drinks would be ruined.
Wine Bottles
Not all wine bottles have this, but they definitely should. The indentation at the bottom of wine bottles is surprisingly not about making it easier to pour, and it’s in fact all about physics. The indentation is there because a lot of pressure occurs during the corking process, and the indentation compensates for it.
It helps spread the pressure as the cork is being put into the bottle. Also, have you noticed that Champagne bottles also have even bigger indentations? That’s because of the carbonation Champagne has, so the indentation needs to be even bigger.
Erasers
Erasers have been a mystery since the beginning of time. For some reason, only a few people know what the purpose of the blue part of erasers is, and there are many myths surrounding it. It is believed that it is made to erase ink, but that is absolutely false and will only get your paper damaged.
The truth is much simpler: the blue part is meant for darker marks on thicker paper, and the orange part is meant to erase light pencil marks on more delicate paper. Yup, that’s it. So, depending on what kind of paper you’re dealing with, you’ll need to use one side or the other.