I’d like to think I’m an observant person, but after preparing for this blog, I’m more clueless than I ever realized. Some things I see, I just don’t question. Things that are just THERE, and they go over my head in importance.
Here’s a few:
The little hole in the side of a pen.
Most of us grew up with Bic pens, right? I used to buy them in 10-packs for the girls. Of course, I saw the hole, but I never realized without it, the pen would be completely airtight, which would prevent the ink from flowing to the tip, and you couldn’t write. Also, in really low pressure areas like planes, the pen could explode, spraying ink everywhere.
The hole in the cap of a pen.
Without it, air gets trapped in the cap, creating pressure that will push ink out of the tip. But more importantly, if someone accidentally swallowed the cap (who among us haven’t chewed on that cap while doing schoolwork?) the hole will help you breathe until it can be surgically removed. Who knew?
The circle on milk jugs.
Since milk is filled to the very brim (customers want absolutely full cartons, you know), in case the jug is dropped, the inverted circle (or a similar design) will expand to prevent bursting. Also, if you leave the milk in the ‘fridge too long, it will build up gas and expand. That circle will help there, too. Ditto when freezing milk, although I always remove about 1/2 cup of milk to allow for plenty of expanding.
The hole in airplane windows.
Have you ever noticed one? I never have! But my husband has, and he knew that it is meant to allow air to flow into the plane and regulate pressure.
Arrow on the gas gauge in your car.
Another one I never knew. Heck, I never even noticed that arrow, at least not enough to question why it was there. But starting in 2010, all cars were required to have this arrow, which indicates which side the gas tank is located. Now isn’t that handy? Especially if you’re driving a rental car or are in long lines waiting to get gas. Much easier (and less embarrassing) to get on the correct side to fill up the tank!
Why men’s buttons are on the opposite side of women’s.
While buttons have been around since the Middle Ages, they weren’t produced en masse until the industrial age in the late 1800s. Before then, mostly the wealthy had buttons, and they had maids who dressed them up in those buttons. So, for the ease of the maids, the buttons were put on the left, but since men mostly dressed themselves, they were put on the right side. Also, by having the buttons on that side, it was beneficial as men removed their swords during war. (Okay, I admit – I don’t get that part.)
Tabs on foil or plastic wrap.
I’ve been a housewife for a long, long time, and I never knew this! In fact, I had to leave my office and check out my foil, wax paper, and cling wrap, and sure enough, the perforated tabs were there, on both ends of each box. But they are so much a part of the design, and the perforations were hard to see, I’d always missed them. You can bet I’ll remember now, and they will be a big help in keeping the rolls in their box!
Let’s test YOUR knowledge, okay? See if you know these handy tips, and I’ll post the answers tonight! (Please, no Googling!)
1. What is the purpose of the little hole in padlocks?
2. Why are headrests detachable?
3. What is the purpose of the can’s tab?
4. Why does a tube of toothpaste have these colored blocks at the end?
5. Why do some garments come with little swatches of fabric?
Be sure to check back tonight, and I’ll tell you why!
Pam has written 30 romances, most of them historical westerns, but she's proud of her contemporary sweet romances featuring the Blackstone Ranch series published by Tule Publishing, too! Stay up on the latest at www.pamcrooks.com
Urban legend:
https://www.snopes.com/news/2023/01/07/milk-jug-indentations/
Good morning, Denise. I think the indentations serve a combination of purposes. Firstly, structural stability which gives that little bit of room needed to allow for expansion, either from freezing or dropping or whatever. I’ve seen myself when I’ve frozen milk and that circle pops out. I’m not smart enough to know about the different kinds of bacteria, but in other products, at least, they do swell from the build-up of gas.
Thanks for sharing.
No googling… I love little tidbits like this, I just don’t always remember to use them all if I find myself in need of them later! haha
If you lose the key, you can use a paper clip to trip the lock. (guessing here…)
Headrests are detachable so you can bust out the window if you’re trapped in the car in an accident.
The tab is to hold a straw.
Different colors for different batches; expiration dates. (guessing here… although I’ve never figured out why toothpaste really needs an expiration date…)
The swatch could be used as a patch or to carry with you if you need to buy a matching garment.
I knew about the gas gauge, the buttons, & the foil/plastic-wrap tabs, but the others I didn’t know. Always fun to learn something new!
Oh, & I always thought the indented circle on a milk jug was for strength & stability. Ridged or notched plastic is stronger than a flat sheet. Hence the reason to-go boxes at restaurants are not smooth. It can be so annoyingly hard to get all your food out of those little crevices! haha
I love learning new stuff, too, Lori, especially when it’s about ordinary things we use every day. I really need to force myself to be more observant. Ha!
Interesting post Pam! I knew about the arrow near gas gauge, the wraps, and the hole in the side of the pin. That’s it. I’ve flown a handful of times in an airplane, so that was new. And since I google everything, I won’t this time!LOL I’ll just wait on your answers tonight. 😉
See you then, Tracy. Ha!
Very interesting.
Fun blog Pam.
Thanks, Janice and Kathy. It was fun to read up on these things!
I knew about the milk jug, the tab on the can, the swath and the arrow on the gas gauge but the rest I didn’t know. I have flown several times but never noticed the little hole.
I have never noticed the little hole on the padlock so would have no idea what it is for. The tab is to hold a straw in place, the detachable headrest is to allow EMT’s to get to someone easier if they need a neck brace in case of accident. Only guessing. I usually google these, lol. This time I didn’t.
Thanks for thinking, Barbara. Stay tuned!
I knew about the gas thing and I’d guess the swatch of material would be for repair jobs, but everything else I have ever thought about.
I’m glad you learned something today, karijean!
What is the purpose of the little hole in padlocks? has something to do with freezing
Why are headrests detachable? they can be detached and a window can be broken if needed
What is the purpose of the can’s tab? after opened, put tab over open area and insert a straw
Why does a tube of toothpaste have these colored blocks at the end? mean different thing, like natural ingredients, fluoride etc…
Why do some garments come with little swatches of fabric? so they can be used when a new button needs to be replaced. I goes behind the button
Stay tuned, Lori. My lips are sealed until tonight!
I haven’t heard of most of these! I’m curious to see what the reason is on the others, though!
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know about these, Trudy!!
Most of these I was aware of, except the arrow on your fuel gauge. Our vehicle is a 2009 so we missed that helpful arrow by a year. I look forward to this evening for “the rest of the story” (Paul Harvey) Thanks for your knowledge lesson on those little things we might not have known facts. You’re great.
One year! Ha! Well, your new car (when you get one) will have that arrow, Judy, and you’ll find it so helpful.
And I remember Paul Harvey! Loved to listen to him!
I did not know about the airplane window or buttons…
locks have drain holes… head rests can be moved for room or comfort…
no clue about the other things…
Glad you’ve learned a few things, Colleen!
I didn’t know about the arrow on the gas gauge! Neat! I had heard or read about the others. The only thing I have no clue about with the other set is the little hole in the padlock. My guess is to let it drain if it gets wet, but I’m not sure.
Stay tuned, Ami!
I had to look up the connection to buttoning and swords.
From Readers’ Digest:Right-hand dominance
But what about men? True, having considerably less constrictive outfits, they usually dressed themselves. That may have contributed to the right-button-placket convention. But the real answer might go way, way back to the days of knights, jousting, and chivalry. Men’s shirts button with the left flap over the right, which mimics one of the oldest conventions of battle: Shield on the left arm, sword in the right. As your enemy’s lance would have been in his right hand, armor plates overlapped from left to right to keep that shield side doubly protected. Even as times changed and weaponry evolved, men’s clothing retained echoes of military trappings, and was often designed to include accommodations for swords and pistols. As these were mostly held in the right hand, it was advantageous to be able to unbutton with the left.
I did know about about the gauge arrow and the tabs on foil and paper boxes and vaguely remember something about the hole in the top of pen caps & choking.
For your new questions,
1 – I read something about the hole, but don’t remember what it was. Maybe something about access to open the lock if the key is lost.
2 – Headrests – I know we take them off to fold the back seats down to load large items in the back of the car. For the front seat, I’m short and know that in some cars they just aren’t comfortable, pushing my head forward. If you lay the front seat all the way back, the head rest needs to come off for the seat to be flat.
3 – The can tab is to open the can. If you rotate the tab around after opening, the hole is to put a straw through and keep it in place.
4 – I have never noticed the color blocks on the tooth paste tubes.
5 – Garment swatches can be taken to the store to match thread color for repairs. If a tear is small enough, it can be used for a patch. Also, if a button is pulled off, you can use part of it as a backing/patch to resew the button so there will be something to sew it to and it won’t pull through again.
I am sitting on my desire to google and find the answers.
I had to look up the hole in the airplane window because something didn’t seem right. The windows are 3 panes and the hole is in the middle pane.
“The tiny holes in airplane windows are called “bleed holes” and serve two purposes:
– To balance air pressure between the passenger cabin and the air gap between the middle and outer panes.
– To prevent windows from fogging up on a plane.
– The breather hole also makes sure the outer pane bears the air pressure, so in the rare event one of the panes gives out, it’s the outer pane that goes. It also releases moisture from the gap between the inner and outer panes, allowing the window to remain mostly fog-free.” (consolidated and edited information from several sites.)
Ah, you’re visiting early today, Pat! Yay!
Thanks for the info about men’s buttons! It was a little complicated, and I had to read it a couple of times. I don’t quite know why – if a man was holding a sword or a pistol in his right hand, why he’d even want to unbutton his shirt with the left, but maybe he’d have a need. Haha!!
And yes, I did read about the 3 layers of window on the plane, but just didn’t go into that depth. Still, I’d never noticed that little hole, and some others didn’t, either. Now, with your explanation, we all know the reasoning behind it.
Thank you for sharing, Librarian Pat!!!
As for the men unbuttoning their jackets, I would think it would be to allow them more freedom of movement than a buttoned up jacket would give them. That would be a plus in a sword fight.
Thank you , I learned alot today, only thing I can think of for the soda tab is that it releases some of the carbonation a little at a time so that it won’t all go running out. All the other ones I have no idea. 🙂
You’ll soon find out, my dear!
As most people are right handed and a scabbard is hung on the left side – as the sword comes out of said scabbard the sleeve of a coat isn’t caught up in the front flap of the said coat. Stand there and imitate this with a man’s coat on and see. PS if you swing the pop tab around over the center of the can a straw fits in and stays nicely.
Okay, Kate! I actually put on my husband’s coat and tried this with the buttons, pulling out an imaginary sword. The only way it makes sense to me, though, is the withdrawal of the sword from the scabbard, because the flap could still get caught as one was reaching for his sword.
Am I overthinking this? LOL.
Nope, speed is essential! En guarde!
En guarde! 🙂 🙂
Wow, Pam! Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂 Evidently. I guess everything is there for a purpose but some of these really require a lot of study. 🙂
Hi, Linda! If not study, a little logic, but I agree. Some of them are definitely head-scratchers!
I had no idea. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.