We spend a lot of time looking at the same objects every single day. We are so used to them, in fact, that we might feel like we know everything there is to know about these objects. But the truth is there is so much we don’t know. If you have ever wondered how models in hair product commercials always have perfectly flowy hair or how underfloor heating actually works, keep reading.
This is what floor heating looks like.
Something about this picture is just so calming. We don’t know if it’s because of how perfectly these pipes are laid out or because we can basically feel the warmth from this underfloor heating through our screen – either way, we can’t stop staring at it.
Pineapples grow on the ground.
If you were wondering why you had never seen a pineapple tree, it’s because they don’t exist. Even though most fruits grow on trees, like bananas and apples, pineapples are an exception. These delicious yellow fruits actually grow from a leafy plant close to the ground.
Blacklight makes tonic water glow.
Who would have thought?! Due to an ingredient called quinine, tonic water glows under ultraviolet light. Made from the bark of a tree, quinine is not only very fluorescent under blacklight, but it is also the ingredient that gives tonic water its characteristic bitter flavor.
The steering wheel of a Formula-1 car.
If you have ever wondered what the steering wheel of a Formula 1 car looks like, here’s your answer. In our opinion, it looks like a cross between a video game controller and an airplane control panel… We wonder how long it takes for a driver to learn what all the buttons and switches do.
Scotch tape makes frosted glass clear.
Apparently, the reason why Scotch tape makes frosted glass look clear is pretty simple. Frosted glass is actually clear but given a translucent appearance due to sandblasting or acid etching. When you put clear tape on it, the adhesive fills in the scratches created by the abrasion, leaving a smooth surface that allows the light to go through the glass without scattering.
Fire hydrants before they’re installed.
If you had also never seen a full fire hydrant before, we’re sure you are just as shocked as we are. It turns out there is a lot more to hydrants than we ever imagined. And another fun fact about fire hydrants: While above-ground hydrants like these ones are common in the US, some countries such as Japan, Spain and the UK actually have below-ground hydrants.
Shampoo commercials use people dressed in green suits to flip the models’ hair.
Have you ever wondered how models always do the most beautiful hair flips on shampoo commercials? If you thought they used fans to blow the models’ shiny hair, you were wrong. The perfect hair flips you see on the screen are the work of very talented professionals who dress in green and invisibly move the models’ hair.
This is why tape dispensers are so heavy.
If you have ever used a tape dispenser, you have probably wondered why these things are so heavy. To stop them from moving around at a fixed packing station, tape dispensers are filled with materials such as cement and sand to weigh them down.
Penguins have very long necks and knees.
Something about the way penguins look made us believe that they had very short necks and legs. But while they do have short legs, they are hiding fully functioning knees tucked up inside their bodies. Besides, as you can see in this picture, these adorable birds also have extremely long necks.
It’s possible to grow Salt crystals at home.
This is actually a really cool science experiment anyone can do at home. All you need is some table salt, distilled water, and a glass container. To make a crystal, stir some salt into boiling water and pour the solution into a clean glass jar. Apparently, in a few days, your salt crystal will start to grow.
Stadiums and race circuits paint their fields green.
If you have ever wondered how some places have the greenest grass even in the middle of the winter, this is how. Their grass isn’t naturally greener, they actually paint it green. Apparently, there are fertilizers that are enriched with a natural green dye that colors your lawn while providing it with nutrients.
The size of a blue whale’s heart.
Blue whales can be as long as 98 ft and as heavy as 219 short tons. So it makes sense that their hearts would also be huge. Weighing about 400 pounds, which is the same weight as an adult male lion, their hearts are the heaviest in the animal kingdom.
Stores use carved blocks of foam to create the illusion of endless piles of towels.
Have you ever walked into a towel store and wondered how all of their displays look so perfect? It’s because this is all they are, displays. The towels on these walls are not meant to be touched or bought, they are only there to create an illusion of endless piles of towels stacked flawlessly.
This is what Space Mountain looks like with the lights on.
If you have been to Disney World, you probably love Space Mountain. It’s a simple, yet incredibly fun rollercoaster that even those who are afraid of heights will enjoy riding – after all, it’s so dark you can’t tell how high it is. But if you’ve ever wondered what it looks like with the lights on, there you go.
Young hens lay eggs with no shell.
Unless you are a farmer or a veterinarian, chances are you don’t know much about chickens. Did you know young hens usually lay one or two shell-less eggs before their bodies adjust to laying eggs? This can also happen with older hens if they are not being fed properly or if they are not getting enough rest.
footlong sandwiches are actually 11-inches long.
We would never have thought to measure our sandwiches before eating, but someone out there did. And they found out that footlong sandwiches are not actually one-foot long. As it turns out, these yummy sandwiches are only eleven inches long.
The real size of a traffic light.
It’s amazing how distance changes the way we see things. When we see traffic lights above us, they usually look pretty small – or at least a lot smaller than this. But it turns out an average traffic light can be as big as 42 inches tall, 13.5 inches wide, and 8 inches deep.
Cinnamon sticks are the inner bark of cinnamon trees.
Yes, cinnamon sticks are wood. This means that the tasty cinnamon sticks we buy at the grocery store are simply rolled up pieces of bark from cinnamon trees. There are several varieties of cinnamon trees, but the two most common ones are Ceylon cinnamon and Cassia cinnamon.
Owls have very long legs.
This fact is almost shocking. As it turns out, owls have really long and skinny legs hiding under all their plumage. In fact, these nocturnal birds have a very powerful grip that comes from the strength of their leg muscles and allows them to catch their prey.
The inside of a bomb.
Ever wondered what a cluster bomb looks like? Well, this is a dispenser that drops countless small submunitions when the bomb hits a certain altitude and disperses them all over the place resulting in a much larger explosion. Cluster munitions have been banned by several countries under international law.
This is how they filmed the scrolling text from the beginning of Star Wars.
Nowadays, adding some scrolling text to a video is quite an easy task. But back in 1977 when the first Star Wars movie was released, it required a little more effort. This picture shows how the opening crawl was filmed for the first movies.
The bricks on concrete edging are made with a roller.
Have you ever seen someone’s garden edging and wondered how long it must have taken to create such a perfect pattern using bricks? The truth is it probably didn’t take so long. Many times, people build flat concrete edgings and use tools to make them look like bricks.
Transporting horses on a plane.
Have you ever wondered how horses are transported from one place to another? Well, it turns out they fly on planes just like us. There are even airlines specializing in transporting horses, like Tex Sutton Equine Air Transportation, that will charge around $5,000 for a one-way trip.
The amount of bacteria on the hand of an 8-year-old after playing outside.
When you were a kid, you probably got sick of your parents telling you to wash your hands after playing outside. It might have sounded like a broken record back then and you probably didn’t take them seriously, but you should have. This photo shows the bacteria that grew when an 8-year-old who had been playing outside pressed his hand onto a Petri dish.
Tigers have striped skin under their fur.
Not only do tigers have striped fur, but these felines also have striped skin. In fact, their stripe pattern is so special that it is unique to each animal. This means that no two tigers in the world have the same stripe pattern on their fur or skin.
These cups only have noodles in the top half.
These types of ramen are just so practical. You simply pour some boiling water and your meal is ready in three minutes. But did you know you are not eating a whole cup of noodles? Apparently, the bottom of the cup has to stay empty so there’s room for the water you have to pour in.
Black boxes from airplanes are actually Orange.
We have all heard about airplane’s black boxes at some point. But have you ever heard about the fact that they are not actually black? These flight recorders are actually painted bright orange so they can be easily found in case of an accident.
6-volt batteries are actually just smaller batteries on a cardboard platform.
Have you ever wondered what is inside of those bulky square batteries? Well, you no longer need to imagine what it could be. Inside those big batteries are just smaller batteries on cardboard platforms. These types of 6-volt batteries always contain either D-cells or F-cells inside them.
Kitchen lighters have a smaller lighter inside them.
The reason why the small lighters are used inside the bigger ones is simple: this butane storage solution has already been tested and approved. This means it’s cheaper for the manufacturer to use it inside the bigger lighter than to design a new storage container, test it and get it approved for use all over again.
Some brick patterns are made with stencils instead of actual bricks.
Instead of spending hours laying bricks on the ground, some people prefer to use stencils to create a brick pattern. These products are called concrete stamps and they are way more common than you would have thought.
Teletubbies was filmed in a real outdoor location.
Teletubbies was a huge success among kids in the late 1990s. Because the TV show was set in such an impeccable location, many people believed it was filmed using a green screen. But as it turns out the show was actually filmed on a farm in Wimpstone, England.
Some large SD cards are just readers for micro SD cards.
We would have never guessed that inside regular-sized SD cards there were smaller memory cards. But this can and does happen. While this is not the case every single time, most SD cards are simply adapters for micro SD cards.
slap bracelets are made of tape measures.
This earth-shattering news might shock your inner child. The slap bracelets we used to have when we were kids do not rely on magic. As it turns out, there’s a piece of tape measure inside them that works as the spring that allows them to snap around your wrist.
Many tablet cases are made of upcycled toothpaste boxes.
Who would have thought that tablet cases can be environmentally friendly products?! Apparently, manufacturers sometimes use paperboard from rejected press sheets in order to cut costs. This means that instead of creating more waste, they are reusing materials that would otherwise end up in the trash. Awesome!
Michael Jackson used special shoes and floor bolts for his famous anti-gravity lean.
The King of Pop had many talents. Not only he could sing and dance beautifully, but he was also an inventor. In order to do his famous gravity-defying lean, the singer created special shoes with slots in the heels that engaged with bolts on the stage floor.
Lily Pads have air pockets underneath them that help them stay afloat.
If you have ever wondered what the unseen side of water lilies looks like, there you go. They are actually rooted in soil in bodies of water while their round leaves float on the surface. When it comes to giant lily pads, they actually need these pockets to trap air bubbles in order to stay afloat.
This is what the inside of a gobstopper looks like.
The gobstopper, inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is an almost endless candy. If you have ever tried to get to the center of this candy, you know how long this could take. So if you have never had the patience to finish a gobstopper, this is what it looks like inside.
This is how Pearls grow inside of an oyster.
Pearls are created when an intruder, such as a grain of sand, slips into the oyster. To protect itself against irritation, the oyster begins coating this intruder with layers and layers of nacre – also known as mother-of-pearl – until the gem is formed.
The Easter Islands statues have full bodies.
The giant heads on Easter Island actually have hidden bodies hidden under the ground. Since the statues were carved between 1250 and 1500, sediments gathered around them and left only their heads visible. This is why their bodies were only discovered in 1914.
This is a Set Designer on the set of GODZILLA.
Back in the day, miniature sets were a common way to create special effects in movies. Using scale models, scenes would be shot giving the illusion of being a full-sized location. This made it easier for directors to represent events such as explosions, floods and fires.
Bananas grow upside down.
When bananas start to grow, they actually hang downwards. But as they grow and take on more sunlight, their growth hormone makes them turn upwards. In fact, growing upside down is actually what makes bananas have a bent shape.
The inside of Deadmau5’s helmet is full of wires.
Joel Thomas Zimmerman, known as Deadmau5, is a popular music producer. When he performs, he wears a mouse-shaped helmet that lights up using hundreds of LED lights. To be able to see using this helmet, a camera was added to its front, so the DJ can watch the live footage through the goggles inside the mask.
This is the inside of a cactus.
Cacti look nothing like other plants – on the outside and on the inside. Known for their ability to store water for a long time, this picture of a cross-sectioned cactus shows one of their parts used to keep their water and nutrients.
The back of the Hollywood sign.
Have you ever wondered what the backside of the Hollywood sign looks like? Well, this is how it is fixed on the hills. These letters are such a world-famous sight, but not many people have had the opportunity to take a look at their other side.
Behind the scenes at NASA’s Mission Control Center.
This facility at NASA manages space flights from launch to landing, and this is exactly what we would imagine a control center to look like. In this picture, you can see an astronaut on the big screen doing some tests.
The Smithsonian’s Department of Anthropology.
This endless collection is so impressive. The Department of Anthropology at Smithsonian collects and preserves artifacts in order to study and analyze past and present civilizations. Using this incredible collection of carefully registered objects, they study the biological and cultural diversity of mankind all around the world.
Red carpet events conduct practice interviews with hired actors in advance.
Yes, the interviews done on the red carpet are practiced in advance. While this doesn’t happen before every single event, this is done so that interviewers can practice their questions. This picture of a hired actress being interviewed before the day of the event, for example, was taken a few days before the 2008 Grammys.
This is what a mushroom farm looks like.
Surely we have all seen pictures of mushrooms growing in the wild. However, commercial mushroom farms look very different from that. These fungi farms cultivate mushrooms that can be used for food, medicine, and even construction materials.
There are underground tunnels under The Magic Kingdom.
Disney World is full of clever tricks. To allow cast members and employees to move from one area to another, tunnels were built under Magic Kingdom. These tunnels make it more efficient for them to move around without constantly interrupting visitors.
Big Bird’s puppeteer uses a tiny TV to be able to see.
Big Bird’s inner puppeteer holds his right arm straight up into the character’s head. Then, he uses his fingers to operate the bird’s eyelids and his thumb to open and close his beak. In order to see what the audience sees, the puppeteer wears a tiny television set on his chest.
beach sand looks very colorful under a microscope.
Who would have thought that sand would look so different under a microscope? Even though sand looks pretty monochromatic to the naked eye, the microscope allows us to see all the different mineral particles that form it.
Police in Venice moves around in jet skis.
Yes, you heard it right. In Venice, Italy, policemen use jet skis in order to move around. Thanks to their speed and maneuverability, it is not uncommon for police and rangers to use jet skis to enforce laws in coastal waters, lakes and rivers.
The View of an eclipse from an airplane.
This picture taken during the solar eclipse of August 21st, 2017, answers an important question. The “Great American Eclipse”, as it was called, was not only visible from the ground but also from the sky.
The original Parmesan at an aging warehouse in Italy.
Parmesan originated in the province of Reggio Emilia, in Italy, back in the 13th century. Since then, it has become extremely popular and often reproduced around the world. The original parmesan wheels, Parmigiano-Reggiano, age on shelves at a warehouse in Reggio Emilia and turn yellower as they get riper.
Disney uses Smellitizers to blow nice scents around the parks.
If you have ever been to a Disney park, you have probably noticed some areas have a really nice smell. Using something called a “smellitizer”, the parks pump scents like popcorn and vanilla to create a dreamlike atmosphere.
This is what the sniper’s nest looks like at the Superbowl.
Now, this is not something we ever would have imagined. We are used to watching the football players, the cheerleaders, and the performances. But tucked away up top is the sniper who provides some extra eyes on the massive crowd.
Every Wondered How That Graffiti Ended Up There? This Is How
We’ve all noticed the graffiti way up somewhere that seemed impossible to reach, whether it was up on an insanely high bridge, like this, or on the side of a water tower. This photographer caught the graffiti in the making showing us that those art pieces really are as death-defying as they seem.
The tiny metal bits on our jeans strengthen parts that could easily tear otherwise.
Getty Images / Moment Mobile / Skip Nall
Riveted blue jeans were patented by Levi Strauss & Co. back in 1873. At the time, denim pants were worn by miners and workers who needed to keep their pockets and seams from bursting. Since then, the tiny metal bits have been used to strengthen stress points on denim pants so they won’t wear out or tear that easily.
The Wii nunchuck is the center post from a Nintendo 64 controller.
If you are a big Nintendo fan, you have probably already noticed this. Apparently, the Wii Nunchuck has the exact same design as the center post from the Nintendo 64 controller. Even the back button is placed on the same spot and has the same name.
A Gorilla’s Hand With Vitiligo
We’ve all heard that apes share a common ancestor with human beings, they are the animals closest to us on the family tree of the animal kingdom. This image of a gorilla’s hand without its usual black pigment shows us just how close we are to the branch of that tree.
This is the control room at a TV News show.
We are so used to watching the news we never stop to think about how the show is made. In order to get a story to air, several people need to work in the control room at the same time: the technical director, prompter operator, director, Viz operator, audio technician, etc.
The inside of an escalator.
Even though we are so used to seeing and using escalators all the time, we never get to see what they look like inside. And now that we have seen their inside, we are even more amazed. These are truly impressive and powerful machines that we will no longer take for granted.
Chameleons shed their skin just like snakes.
Just like snakes and lizards, chameleons shed their skin to renew it. When they are young, this happens frequently – that is, every 3 to 4 weeks. When they are older, their skin will shed once every two months. This happens quickly, though: the shedding process lasts a few hours only.
Canada has vertical dollar bills.
Back in 2019, Canada released a new ten-dollar note. This new bill features Viola Desmond, a human rights activist who challenged racial segregation back in the 1940s. On the other side of this vertical bill, it features the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
In the UK, local post boxes get painted gold if a local wins gold at the Olympics.
Back in 2012, to commemorate British gold medal winners at the Olympics and Paralympics, numerous post boxes were painted gold in these athletes’ hometowns. This was meant to be a temporary measure, but the public loved it so much that the gold color ended up becoming a permanent tribute.
The small hole in plane windows balances air pressure.
Anyone who has ever flown on a plane has wondered why all windows have a little hole in them. It turns out most airplane windows are made up of three acrylic panels and the tiny hole is in the middle layer. Called “bleed hole”, it is there to balance air pressure, as well as keep the window panes from fogging up or frosting over.
This is The inside of a tennis ball.
Pressurized tennis balls, like the one in this picture, are made of a rubber coating with a hollow center. Their center is filled with either air or nitrogen, which keeps them inflated longer. Then, the rubber layer is covered with green felt on the outside.
This is a steering wheel from a modern Formula One car.
Formula One steering wheels have around 25 buttons and switches besides the clutch and shift paddles. Five of these buttons are used to change brake settings, three of them control the torque transfer between rear wheels, and the rest have numerous different purposes.
Some scientists use 1mL beakers for experiments.
This tiny beaker is not a toy, it is actually used in some labs by scientists. A 1 ml beaker is great for experiments that require very little of a substance and a lot of precision. Truly impressive.
What could happen if you get an eyeball tattoo.
Also known as “scleral pigmentation”, an eyeball tattoo involves injecting ink under the surface of the conjunctiva – that is, the tissue that lines the inside of the eyelids. This is clearly a high-risk procedure, which can lead to swelling, blurred vision, and even blindness.
The internal mechanism of a watch.
This is the internal mechanism of a Patek Philippe watch. The Swiss brand is considered the finest watchmaker in the world, so this watch is more intricate than most. It’s so fascinating how all these wheels work together in such perfect harmony.
Cross-section of a Tank.
Unless you were in the army, you’ve probably never seen what the inside of a tank looks like. Or at least we had no idea. In fact, we would have never guessed that it was possible for three people to fit inside a tank… We would have expected one or maybe two people to fit comfortably inside, but not three…
This is what operating rooms look like after surgeries.
Getty Images / Image Source
Unless you work at a hospital or have been through an operation, chances are you have no idea what an operating room looks like after a surgery. This picture is also a great reminder of how important and brave doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals are.
Salt and pepper under a microscope.
It’s amazing how things we are so familiar with can look so different when seen from a different perspective. In this case, salt and pepper seen through a microscope look like tiny marshmallows in corn flakes. Who would have thought?!
Tulips can bloom in the snow.
It is true: tulips can grow and bloom even if there’s still snow on the ground. These flowers were developed in cold mountainous regions in Central Asia, so they have adapted to be able to survive and thrive in cold weather.
This is the world’s shortest underwater tunnel.
The shortest underwater tunnel is called Aqueduct Veluwemeer. This 25-meter long aqueduct is only 9.83 feet deep and is located under Veluwemeer lake, in the Netherlands. It allows ships to navigate freely while cars go through the underwater bridge.
This is what the inside of an empty Boeing Dreamliner looks like.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a wide-body jet airliner commonly used by American and Japanese airlines. This plane is known for being the most fuel-efficient one on the market, but we believe its design should also be praised. This airplane is absolutely beautiful.
X-ray of a woman’s foot in high heels.
We all know high heels are not made for comfort and that our feet are not made to walk around in that kind of shoe all day. But many people still do it anyway. This x-ray image shows what a woman’s foot and bones look like in high heels. Scary!
A 4.5 billion years old meteorite.
The Fukang meteorite was found in the mountains in China back in 2000. It has been classified as a stony-iron pallasite and is believed to be 4.5 billion years old. This meteorite weighs more than 2200 lbs and is made up of iron, nickel and olivine crystals. Pictured above is a piece of the main mass, weighing about 44 lb.
Close-up of a burning candle wick.
Candle wicks look very interesting when they start burning. Like the one pictured above, most cotton and wood wicks will begin to split through normal use. Once they start splitting, they will make hotter and larger flames – which make candles burn faster.
The colored stripes on toothpaste represent each one of the product’s benefits.
Getty Images / Westend61
The first-ever striped toothpaste was Aquafresh: it was originally blue and white to represent the product’s key benefits, providing fresh breath and fighting tooth decay. Since then, other brands have started using stripes in their products as well to represent each benefit their toothpaste has to offer.
The square patches on your backpack are used to pass string through and fasten equipment.
Known as lash tab or pig snout, the square patch on your backpacks might look a little useless. However, it was originally designed for outdoor backpacks to allow you to thread some rope through it and attach extra gear to the exterior of your bag.
Backside of The Price Is Right’s ‘Big Wheel’.
We all know what the big wheel from The Price Is Right looks like. That is, we know what its front side looks like. If you have ever wondered what the other side of the wheel looked like, there you go. It looks a lot less magical from this angle if you ask us…
These are cotton bales.
A cotton bale is a pack of compressed cotton lint after ginning. It is the standard trading unit for cotton in wholesale markets, although its standard weight varies depending on the area. In the US, for example, a standard bale size is 17 cubic feet and 500 pounds.
This is how Grass looks After a Lightning Strike.
This may look like it was done on purpose, but this cool pattern was actually created by lightning. These branch-like patterns created by lightning strikes are called Lichtenberg figures and are associated with electric discharge.
The size of a toucan’s beak compared to the rest of its skull.
Native to South America, the common toucan is the largest and best known species in the toucan family. Its most noticeable feature, its yellow-orange bill, can measure up to 9 inches in length. Even though it looks extremely heavy in comparison to the skull, a toucan’s bill is relatively lightweight since its inside is mostly hollow.
Doll heads at an abandoned toy factory.
While this picture of doll heads at an abandoned toy factory might be a little creepy, it does a pretty good job of capturing the process of doll manufacturing. It turns out porcelain doll heads are attached to their bodies only after their hair and make-up are done.
Cross-sections of patients who are slim and obese.
We all have mirrors and know what we look like on the exterior. But we don’t always think about what we look like on the inside. If you were curious to know what thin and obese people look like on the inside, these two cross-sections will definitely satisfy your curiosity.
This is where road crews practice painting lines.
If you can’t draw a straight line and always wondered how road crews do it so perfectly, this one is for you. They practice a lot before painting on the road. These are some practice lines they painted in this designated area.
This is what elephants’ tails look like up close.
Elephants use their tails to ward off biting insects. Their waving tail forms a curtain of air that blows pests away and discourages mosquitos from landing. Their tails are also very important for their body language: raising their tail, for example, could mean they are either fearful, playful or excited.
Brussel sprouts grow on stalks.
Inexplicably, we always assumed that Brussel sprouts grew straight from the ground. But apparently, these small vegetables grow on stalks. When we buy Brussel sprouts at the grocery store, the buds have already been removed from the stalks.
Your neighbor’s grass might be always greener because they spray paint it.
Just like golf courses and athletic fields, many people use spray paint to keep their grass bright green. If your lawn is looking a little brown, you should look into lawn paints – they are non-toxic and biodegradable, which means they are harmless not only for your plants but also for you and your pets.
An owl without feathers.
Have you ever wondered what birds look like without their feathers? Well, us neither. But here is a featherless owl anyway. Honestly, we kind of wish we had remained ignorant on the subject of birds without feathers, though… This poor owl looks a lot creepier than it should.
An ‘Existential Slap’ is the moment a person feels that death in near
Gettyimages/ EyeEm/ Dmitry Ageev
Medical staff that deal with patients near death, testify that there is a certain moment of realization, known as an ‘Existential Slap’ when a patient understands that he’s dying. This usually happens when the doctor discloses the news of a terminal illness, when a person sees how an illness has altered his appearance or when sharing the news with their loved ones.
This is how anemones are dissected.
This very interesting process was shared by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Apparently, the best way to dissect an anemone is to start with a cross-section of the animal. With a longitudinal section, it’s easier to see the complete number of mesenteries
This is what a swollen elbow looks like.
This is something that (thankfully) we don’t see every day. Known as olecranon bursitis, this is a condition characterized by swelling, redness, and pain at the tip of the elbow.