You’ve most likely noticed that the rearview mirror in your car includes a tab at the bottom of it. Even if you know that this black tab is there, this doesn’t mean you know its purpose. Well, its purpose is to help you not die. The black little tab allows you to change the position of the mirror so that you can control the glare of lights behind you.
For example, you can tilt the mirror to reduce the brightness of the headlights of the car behind you. The tab allows you to manually do this. It works at deflecting light without preventing you from seeing that there’s a car behind you. It’s a very overlooked safety feature in cars. These types of mirrors were introduced in the 1930s, and by the 1970s, they were standard equipment in most cars and trucks.
Lines of Red Solo Cup
We've all drank out of red solo cups more times than we're willing to admit. We're not here to shame, we're just here to tell you something that your freshman year intoxicated self would have benefited from knowing. Did you ever notice that red solo cups come with horizontal lines inside of them? Well, those lines actually serve a purpose.
The lines tell you how much liquid is in the cup. So, the first line at the bottom of the cup equates to one ounce or one shot of hard alcohol. The next line is five ounces, which is the perfect amount for a glass of wine. The line at the top equals 12 ounces, which is the size of one beer. It seems like the red solo cup was on your side all along, and you didn't even know it.
Extra Holes in Sneakers
Unless you've been having your shoes tied for you since the time you were born (that's another issue that we won't address here), then you have most definitely noticed the extra hole at the top of your shoes that aren't being used by the laces. Have you ever questioned why they're there? The extra holes are there in the case that people get blisters on their feet and need to move their feet around inside of their shoe.
They can place their shoelaces in the extra holes but in the opposite direction. This creates a loop on each side, thus allowing you to cross your laces inside each loop. Then you can pull down on the laces to create a much tighter lock before tying your laces normally. This maneuver is called the “lace lock” or “heel lock,” and it helps make sure that your shoes remain tight to your feet.
Square Patch on Backpacks
A lot of people love toting vintage-looking backpacks that have a patch-shaped square on them. They are very popular. But, did you know that they actually serve a purpose other than looking cool and vintage? Called a "lash tab" or "pig snout" (you can imagine why), this patch was originally designed for travel packs to allow people to carry extra gear on their backpacks.
Cords and strings can fit through the two tabs of the patches, allowing wearers to hang extra stuff on the front of the bag. This especially comes in handy if you go camping and need to carry extra supplies to fasten them to your pack. While you probably aren't doing much hiking with this backpack, at least you know that you can hang stuff on the outside in case the need ever comes about!
Plastic Lids on Cups
You will probably gawk at this next one and slap yourself for never having realized this. The plastic lid that comes along with your disposable cup can also be used as a coaster, both for coffee cups and soda beverages.
Of course, when you're walking or in the car, you will keep the lid on. But when you sit down to enjoy your caffeine kick, the ridges of the lid are designed to grip your cup and hold it in place. Anyways, now we know better than to indulge in plastic lids... looks like you missed out on the opportunity.