The world has no shortage of odd and interesting things. Sometimes you know what said object is but other times, you may have no idea at all what the item is or what it is used for. In the days of old, you would have had to ask someone who you thought may know, or go to a library and do some good old-fashioned manual research. Thankfully in the golden age of the internet that we live in, most questions can be solved in a matter of seconds with a quick Google search.

In this collection of photos, that was the exact scenario for these people. So they did what any modern-day human would do, they turned to the internet and finally got answers to the question "what the heck is this thing?"

In a river beside an old bridge in York England… what the heck is this?

A: The remnants of a old bridge or pier

What is this thing I found while walking along the road

A: Extendable baton. Give it a nice wrist snap and it will extend out. Need to hammer that roughed up tip into the ground to close it.

What is this? Looks like a loaf of bread on one side and was squishy to the touch. I think it’s some kind of sea slug but I’m not sure

A: Gumboot chiton

What is this 1-inch tall doll we found in our mailbox? Whatever is on its head is burnt.

A: It’s a worry doll

Found these metal detecting an old home site? Are these old shoes or shoe bottoms? House was mid 1800-early 1900s

A: Templates for fabric or leather.

What is this strange little wooden box with flaps hiding religious pictures?

A: It’s an icon. They’re very common in the Eastern Orthodox churches. They are a focus for prayer.

What are the little black things used to bind the two right strings? They are on an old classical guitar.

A: They’re just to keep you from having to tie the strings to the bridge. Pretty much every steel string uses these. It’s not as common with classical strings, but it’s not unheard of.

What is this large cage-like structure with no top?

A: Corn crib silo. Stores whole corn cobs.

This is some kind of measuring tool. The wheel on the bottom spins as you run it across a surface and the dial spins. Not sure what it’s measuring or what measurement it uses. Anyone have any idea what this thing is used for?

A: It’s an opisometer, also called a curvimeter, meilograph, or map measurer. It measures a curved line (on a map) and allows you to translate the map’s scale to the distance the route covers.

Sand like, but softer (it turn almost paste like when you rub it) stuff found in the cylinder on a MX5 having a new head gasket.

A: Sediment left over from water in the coolant not being distilled

What is this metal honeycomb thing I found mixed in with my frozen cauliflower after baking it?

A: Part of your oven. It goes in the vent tube between the oven and stove top.

My friend received this as a hand-me-down for an infant. Any ideas?

A: It's a pad to cover the buckle between their legs in a car seat

Old bookcase with a hole on the top?

A: Set of Encyclopedia Britannica go on the shelves and an atlas goes in that top spot.

Small metal plate with patent dates from the 1800s. Heavy for its size. Anyone know what it is?

A: Looks like part of a singer sewing machine.

Found in a box of PC standoffs. Threaded on one end, and pointed on the other end. I was thinking maybe a pendulum?

A: It’s a speaker spike

Box attached to fire hydrant

A: It is an automatic hydrant flusher.

We just moved into a new house and the previous owners left this, it says to use recharble batteries only?

A: It is the top of a solar yard light.

These light scribbles started showing up on my radio display recently, they change shape every time it’s turned on

A: It looks like the lcd display is probably going bad.

Found on 1997 f150 under front grill

A: Deer whistle. I tried them many years ago. I think they were calling deer out of the woods and into the road to see what was making that noise

Hanging off roof of new build house – not connected to any visible wires

A: It is a rain sensor for the irrigation system. Also has temperature measurement.

Been In the Family Kitchen for Decades

A: It is a grapefruit corer. It gets posted here quite often. Let me find the patent.