1. The Fifth Pocket On Your Jeans
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You may have noticed that a lot of denim jeans come with a tiny extra pocket on the side known as the fifth pocket. While millions of people have found thousands of different uses for it, from storing folded up cash to tucking away a stick of lip balm, this small pocket was actually designed with a very specific item in mind; the pocket watch. Jeans were the pants of choice for gold miners in California in the mid-1800s, and one of the most important items they kept on them was their pocket watch, which was generally delicate and spendy. The fifth pocket was designed to protect their expensive pocket watches by keeping it snugly and safely tucked into place.
2. Metal Rivets In Denim Jeans
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Yes, believe it or not, all of those small metal rivets you have in your jeans have a purpose. They’re not just there to make a fashion statement, they are strategically fastened in areas where jeans used to fall apart. While denim jeans are sold more for the way they make our butts look nowadays, they originally became popular among the working class like farmers, miners, ranchers, laborers, and the like. In order to keep their work clothes from ripping apart at the seems, they used the rivets where they were most likely to rip to give them some extra life!
3. The Ridge Pattern On The Edge Of Some Coins
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Have you ever found yourself wondering why the edges of dimes and quarters have rough-hewn edges, but the edges of nickles and pennies remain smooth? Well, you are right to wonder, because there’s a very good reason for this. Back in the good old days, coins were stamped from different types of metal cast in different weights that were the true value of the coin. For example, one silver dollar was crafted out of one ounce of silver. People began shaving off the edges in coins to save up to melt into new coins later and would spend the shaven coins at their full value, even though they weren’t worth that much anymore. In order to avoid this, coin minters started using the rigid pattern only on the precious metal coins, so that a person could easily tell if a coin had been shaven.
4. The Hole In A Soda Pop Tab
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You may have thought you understood all there was to know about the purpose of a soda can, but chances are you will be surprised to learn about this one. Every can of soda comes with a tab for easy opening of the tasty beverage. While these may come in all sorts of colors and different details on their corners, every single one of them has a fairly large hole in the top. Although this hole does seem to make it easier to get your finger wedged beneath the tab to pop the top on your soda, its intended purpose is actually to serve as a place-holder for your straw. Simply spin the tab around over the opening and slip your straw through. Boom!
5. Tiny Fabric Squares That Come With Clothes
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You know how sometimes when you buy a nice new shirt or pants…or even underwear, that it often comes with a tiny Ziploc baggy containing a button and about 1 square inch of matching fabric? The reason seems obvious, right? A button in case one falls off when you aren’t paying attention, and the fabric in case you get a small hole in your clothes and need to patch it up. Well, this is a nice use for the fabric swatch, but it’s only a secondary one. The real purpose of the fabric is for you to test out your cleaning products on, to make sure they won’t ruin the material. We know; mind=blown!
6. Arrow On Your Gas Pump Indicator Light
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Have you ever had one of those embarrassing moments at a gas pump where you realized you parked your car on the opposite side of where your gas tank is? It’s happened to the best of us. So, you’ll be glad to know most drivers will share your embarrassment after realizing that our cars have been showing us which side the tank is on for decades. If you pay closer attention to the gas indicator light in your vehicle, you might notice that there is an arrow next to the pump. That arrow is indicating to you which side your fuel tank sits on. Other lights simply use the pump handle to indicate which side it is on.
7. The Side Holes In Converse Shoes
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Converse shoes have made a huge comeback in popularity over the last decade. Originally designed in the early 20th century for basketball players, the shoes featured two extra holes on the side near the bottom that were identical to the shoelace holes. Over the years many people have assumed that these “extra” holes are for airflow, or simply a fashion statement. Actually, these two side holes are exactly what they look like; for lacing your shoes. The design was intended to accommodate every basketball player’s foot, and the two holes on the side would allow them to customize the fit of their shoes and keep laces from unraveling.
8. Letter Arrangement On A Keyboard
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Have you ever found yourself wondering why keyboard letters are arranged the way they are? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have them in alphabetical order? Well, yes and no. The first keyboard ever invented belonged to the typewriter, which operated with mechanical metal arms. Originally, keys were arranged in alphabetical order but typing that way came so naturally to typists that they would end up typing too fast and the key “arms” would get cross-wired and stuck. So, for all the classes you took growing up to increase your typing speed, it might pain you to know that people were already fast, and keyboard manufacturers had to randomize the order of keys to intentionally slow down typists to keep the machine running. We haven’t changed it back today because, well, we are lazy and hate change.
10. Detachable Headrests
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The design of the headrest is pretty upfront, they are made to be adjustable to comfortably support anyone’s head, no matter how tall or short. While this makes sense, why make them completely detachable? The answer has to do with survival. When you pull your headrest completely out of the seat, it has two sturdy, long metal bars that come to a dull point. If you ever find yourself trapped inside your car and need to get out quickly, you can detach your headrest and use the metal bars to smash out your window.
11. The Indentation In The Bottom Of A Wine Bottle
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Many people have asked over and over again what the indentation at the bottom of a wine bottle is for. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t actually indicate the superior quality of the wine it holds. The indentation is called a punt, and originally found its way to the wine bottle because back in the day, they were handblown and the seam of the bottle at the bottom was pushed up in order to prevent an outward nub at the bottom that would keep a bottle from balancing upright. Today, the punt is there more for tradition, though many wine lovers claim that the smaller space created by the punt helps collect sediment at the bottom and keep it from flowing out with the wine. The punt still serves a purpose in champagne and carbonated beverages, as it evenly distributes the pressure from the carbon dioxide.
13. The Lines On A Solo Cup
[ATTACH=full]320682[/ATTACH]Solo cups have become basically synonymous with beer and outrageous parties. Their solid red color hides the nature of their drink perfectly among youngsters, and they are the perfect receptacle for a decent game of beer pong. Did you know those lines and ridges in the cup can serve a totally different function, though? Although the manufacturer claims coincidence, the lines on a solo cup can be used as liquid measurements for different kinds of alcohol. The bottom line is the rough equivalent of a 1 oz recommended serving of hard liquor, the second marks the 5 oz recommended dose of wine, and the third line marks 12 oz, the perfect amount for a cup of brew.