All of us have used ballpoint pens throughout our grade school years. Did you ever ask yourself why the cap has a hole in it? Well, that hole was strategically placed there by the company. Nope, it’s not so that it dries out faster, thus forcing you to buy more pens. The hole in the top is there in case a child or adult accidentally swallows the cap. If this happens, then thanks to the hole, air can flow through the cap, and the poor fellow who swallowed the cap can still breathe.
If you think to yourself, what kind of adult swallows the top of a pen, remember, many adults have the bad habit of putting pen caps in their mouth. It just takes one bad move until you accidentally choke on the cap. You’re welcome to keep your conspiracy theories about companies drying out pens on purpose but just know that the company actually had your safety in mind when they engineered the pen.
Zigzag Side of Bobby Pins
Even if you've never used a bobby pin, then you can still probably picture how one looks in your hair. One side is straight, and the other is wavy. The wavy zigzag side is the one that faces towards the scalp, thus it isn't seen.
The wavy side is actually what helps keep the pin in place by helping catch the hair. That’s why you only see the wavy side when the bobby pin isn’t in use.
Soda Can Tab
Most of us are familiar with the top of a soda can like the back of our hands. Despite having drunk soda hundreds, and probably thousands of times in your life, you may have overlooked one feature of the soda can tab. Besides occasionally breaking off into the can and ruining the rest of your drink, the tab actually serves another purpose.
The tab on top of soda cans was actually designed to be flipped over again and used as a holder to keep your straw in place. Who knew, right? Despite this neat little addition, most of us refrain from using straws when drinking from a can, if not for the environment, then because they're so flimsy inside of the can and it's more comfortable to drink straight out of the can. But if you think about it, using the tab to hold your straw in place makes perfect sense.
Discs Under Bottle Caps
You have probably noticed at one point or another that under the cap of a plastic bottle of soda lies a little plastic disc. While you may not think anything of it (why would you?), there is actually a very interesting reason for it being there. That little plastic disc somehow helps to keep in carbonation. We aren't here to explain the science behind it, just deliver to you the facts.
Thanks to those little discs, we are gifted with fizzy soda and not flat. Nobody wants to live in a world of flat sodas. Gross.
Blue Part of the Eraser
You may think that some erasers are different colors simply to make them more appealing to children. In schools, there are even rumors among children that the blue part of the eraser could emit ink. Unfortunately, that isn't true. But, equally as cool, the blue part is meant to be used on certain types of paper that are thicker and stronger than common loose-leaf or notebook paper.
For example, artists use paper that is more sensitive to friction. For this reason, they need to use a specific type of eraser, in opposition to the pink erases that we common folk use.