Some pictures give you the whole story in one image, with no explanation necessary. You know the ones, they’re worth about 1,000 words, give or take.
Others need a little bit of context or backstory in order to fully appreciate what’s going on. These pics all tell some kind of story, whether it’s short or long — and they’re all rather interesting.
“This pigeon using anti-bird spikes to hold her nest in place.”
A bird utilizing the very device designed to thwart it? I believe that’s called irony, or poetic justice, or something along those lines.
“Large hand-drawn diploma presented to my grandfather when he was transferred out of a Nazi POW camp.”
It’s truly hard to fathom what the experience must have been like in a concentration camp. This diploma would definitely be a keepsake.
“The mosquito I smashed left a print on my hand.”
It’s hard to believe that this is an imprint, rather than an actual mosquito. When I smack a mosquito, it just makes a mess.
“These knockoff brands in a 3rd world country.”
These drinks are so close to the real thing that it takes a second look to realize that they’re all off-brands.
“I ordered 2 identical curtain rods from Amazon, this is how they were packaged.”
This is an extreme example of something we’ve all experienced from Amazon. Box parity really isn’t a thing when it comes to online shopping.
“My front door cam fell and now all the trees are purple.”
Of all the camera glitches that could happen, this one is honestly kind of delightful. Now the street looks like an alien planet.
“This giant pair of headphone chairs at the mall.”
It kind of blows my mind that these headphone chairs don’t have any advertising on them. They’re not here to advertise headphones, they’re just here to be really weird chairs.
“We found a starfish that had eaten our mussel inside of the shell during dinner.”
Sometimes you’re just trying to eat a nice seafood dinner and you get confronted with a real world example of the food chain in action.
“My grandma (92) got an infinity tattoo when she was 18.”
I thought infinity tattoos were a new thing, but apparently artists have been inking them on arms for decades now.
“My first encounter with a praying mantis.”
If you like praying mantises enough to get a big tattoo on your arm, this first encounter with a real mantis must feel downright magical.
“My teal Post-Its turned green while I was out of the office for 15 months.”
I wonder what chemical reaction is at play here. The color change is more dramatic than I would have expected.
“There’s a sea turtle nest in my yard.”
It would be fascinating to stay up late to watch the baby sea turtles hatch, right in your own backyard.
“This bee that stung my croc, but died before it could leave its stinger.”
The bee did its absolute best to fulfill its destiny, but in the end it was just left hanging.
“The way the tree grew into this sign.”
It looks like the tree separated the metal part of the sign from its green coating, which makes it look like the wood has the sign imprinted on it.
“How the Michelin Man looked in 1915.”
Everyone comes from somewhere, and the friendly Michelin Man we know today came from this 1915 nightmare fuel.
“Took this pic of the firehouse from Ghostbusters on our trip to NYC, which is an actual firehouse.”
I think I knew this place was a real firehouse, but it still feels weird to see the real-life version of something I had (in toy form) as a kid.
“Small town movie theater for sale since the last movie shown.”
When a movie theater shuts down, it leaves a time capsule of sorts of all the movie posters that were on display when it closed.
“Kodak, the photography company, also make razors.”
While it would be interesting if Kodak had completely pivoted, the details are just plain sad: Kodak itself went out of business, and they sold their branding.
“My tomatoes came with a picture and link to the bios of the employee that packed them.”
I really appreciate small gestures like this, as they’re a reminder that everything, even industrial farming, has a human component to it.
“Michigan Theater in Detroit. Now turned into a parking garage.”
If you like urban decay, Detroit is the place for you. This once-ornate theater is now a humble parking garage.
“This contraption so the tree won’t grow around the tag.”
I had to look at this for awhile to figure out how it works. As the tree grows, the spring tension pushes back against it.
“A Viking burial site used from about 500 AD until 1100 AD.”
This otherwise nondescript-looking field with stones in it is absolutely packed with history. Six centuries is a long time for it to be used as a cemetary.
RELATED STORIES
“A wheelchair designed for the beach, completely made of pvc construction.”
This fascinating invention has big wheels to deal with any sand you might throw at it, and the PVC construction makes for a lightweight wheelchair.
“My left calf is considerably larger [than] my right due to the fact I used to own a semi truck with a pretty stiff clutch.”
Now all this guy needs to do is find a truck with a stiff gas pedal, and maybe his calves will even out.
“This bruise after I dislocated my ankle.”
Some bruises form a big smudge at the point of impact. Others trace exactly where the physical trauma happened on the body.
“Blue whale jawbone which was turned into an arch.”
It would take a second, and maybe a third, glance to realize that this isn’t a normal arch. Also, it’s wild how big blue whales really are.
“Digging in my yard and found an old sidewalk.”
This is another powerful reminder of just how much history is buried under our feet.
“I got a certificate of appreciation mailed to me for participating in a COVID vaccine clinical trial.”
The development of vaccines for COVID-19 was an unprecedented effort, and we have study participants like this to thank, in part.
“You can clearly see my dog’s favourite peeing spots.”
This is one of those kinda-interesting, kinda-gross sights that’s familiar to anyone who has a dog and a yard.
“The amount of rolls I used in 6 years.”
We all mark the passage of time in different ways, so I don’t want to judge this too harshly.
