Reddit | barneyrubble82

15+ Fascinating Secrets We Wish We'd Known A Long Time Ago

There's so much to know about the world, we can't possibly know it all, right? But that doesn't stop us from wanting a peek behind the scenes sometimes, you know? I know I can't always help wondering what's happening on the other side of an "Employees Only" sign sometimes, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

So the world has its secrets, but sometimes we're lucky enough to get a glimpse of that other world, like with these pics.

This shampoo bottle has a QR code that only shows up under UV light.

Reddit | Burning_FireSpike

It might just be for manufacturers rather than the shampoo-purchasing public, but even so, it's pretty neat.

The watermarks on currency are actually a pretty effective anti-counterfeit measure.

Reddit | kisstroyer

Just check out how weak the reproduction of Grant is on the counterfeit bill!

A Ti-84 graphing calculator can run Pokémon.

Reddit | Invisui

I'm not saying you should do this, but I definitely would have had I known about this when I was in school.

You can get Skittles that don't have the shell on them.

Reddit | Pixeltouch_

They look...weirdly naked. Didn't realize they were tough to eat with the shell on, either.

Tap water and sparkling water don't automatically mix.

Reddit | menix

If you pour sparkling water on top of tap water, it will just sit there because it's lighter and less dense.

Some restaurants with self-serve drinks have cups with RFID chips on the bottom.

Reddit | TheHallows_

They keep track of how many times you go back for refills, and if you're only allowed so many, you'll be cut off.

This Audi has a badge hidden away underneath a clip on the sun visor.

Reddit | Sulu51

Why? Good question. It's not like anybody is going to go looking for, well, anything there.

Some wine bottle stoppers are more than meets the eye.

Reddit | Chazster567

This one had a corkscrew hidden underneath, which immediately makes it a valuable purchase.

This ramen cup rewards dedicated recyclers with a message underneath the label.

Reddit | pixelfetish

Hey, every little bit of encouragement helps.

Some folks found a hidden power outlet in a park.

Reddit | 9eurowekker

Not sure I would necessarily go poking around under every lid, but hey, when you need to charge your phone, you need to charge your phone.

Here are some of the secret codes you might hear going out over the P.A. at Walmart.

Reddit | HippySol

Unless they've changed them up, of course. Guess they're not so secret now!

If you put a 3D lenticular image next to a mirror, you get to see both images.

Reddit | OMGLMAOWTF_com

One on the wall, and the other in a reflection. Pretty cool, no?

Mirrors can do cool things with TVs, too.

Reddit | spicerackk

Or to be more precise, with pictures of TV shows. The camera's rolling shutter, in landscape mode, caught the scene changing.

You'd never know this secret plot was in a farmer's field at ground level.

Reddit | ThadrikaTonkas

Sometimes it's just an irrigation well, and sometimes it's something that law enforcement would be interested in.

Some ATMs have screens you can't read unless you're right in front of them.

Reddit | barneyrubble82

And considering how little I use cash machines, and how seldom I see them from any angle other than directly in front, I'm happy to know that my privacy is taken so seriously.

Just a reminder that builders will take shortcuts sometimes.

Reddit | Fzohseven

Like leaving an entire chandelier in place behind a drop ceiling.

Birds love a good chimney to nest in.

Reddit | boxy_pete

The person who found this monstrosity in their chimney believes there's about 25 years worth of bird's nests in that stack, so maybe get yours checked out a bit more regularly.

Sometimes, secrets are heat sensitive.

Reddit | mongomoo

If you're the type to warm up your hair wax with a hair dryer, then you would find this secret image quickly, but if you warm it up in your hands, then you may never know.

This sour candy gets really judgy if you spit it out.

Reddit | KickingJester98

The fact that the candy is shaped like a tear drop is a nice detail too.

Secret doors are my favorite doors.

Reddit | Nekussa

Especially if they are hidden behind the ice cream supplies at the grocery store. Yum!

A lot of old infrastructure is just hidden under layers of asphalt.

Reddit | kobrakaan

Which can at least make potholes visually interesting as they crack your axle.

You may need to shake your phone to see this message.

Reddit | shizzleurtizzle

Unless, like me, you wear corrective lenses. Weirdly, I can see the message with my left eye, but not my right.

Occasionally, you still see compact discs in novelty shapes.

Reddit | anoBL

These actually work, but hold very little data. For a while, they were popular as musician business cards that doubled as demos.

Some species of ants love electricity.

Reddit | Illy_sigelman

In this case, the raspberry crazy ants just need to be cleaned off, but if they're inside an outlet, things can get weird.

If you pay attention, you'll realize that Newman has an outfit for every occasion.

Reddit | ivamairi

The bee keeper outfit makes sense, but they must have had to stretch their brainstorming for some of them.

The shores of Lake Superior have rocks that glow under black lights.

Reddit | Prose001

Called Yooperlites, they were only officially discovered in 2018. The glow comes from deposits of fluorescent sodalite in the stone.

We think of natural pigments as more muted than their synthetic cousins.

Reddit | dukerustfield

But not always. Freeze-dried dragonfruit is actually one of the brightest fuchsia pigments found in nature.

This should be commonplace for all household goods.

Reddit | Harrishunn

Does it cost more to have packaging molds made with braille for each kind of product?

Yes, but this way customers with visual impairments aren't going to confuse bleach for body wash.

Tim Horton's even has Canadian bathroom sign people.

Reddit | raine4thewin

Complete with plaid and toques. As an added bonus, by putting the plaid only on the "skirt" portion, it could also be considered a kilt. So it leans more gender neutral.

This restaurant in Japan advertises its American staff.

Reddit | andyypeach

And it's incredible. Definitely adding this craziness to my dream Japan trip itinerary.

This photo was captioned "Abandoned temple on campus".

Reddit | justflum

Which is exactly why future generations — or visiting aliens — are going to be very confused.

This is a "folly", which was a fad where rich people would build fake ancient ruins as status symbols.

There is still a lot of cold war nuclear prep hidden in plain sight.

Reddit | pawnografik

This underground carpark in Helsinki doubles as a nuclear shelter and has three layers of heavy blast doors.

This kids' comic has secret interactivity.

Reddit | sumslev

While you might think that the QR codes are just a clever way to display robot "speech", if you scan them with your phone, you can actually get the translations.

When donating a bunch of random books, always check for secrets.

Reddit | roachnectar

Otherwise, someone in a thrift store is going to find your 30 year-old checks.

During renovations, a secret elevator was found in an 103-year-old NYC building.

Reddit | nomynameisnotjesus

Which is pretty cool. Sadly, it sounds like the plans are just to reinforce the masonry and cover it back over again.

Before cars get released to the public, they still have to be road-tested.

Reddit | Hap-e

And so car makers will give them a wrap job to keep the details, well, under wraps.

In fact, different companies will go to different lengths to keep their sweet new rides secret.

Reddit | purpleeliz

This one is definitely some kind of SUV or crossover, but other than that, I have no idea what it will be.

There's an underground KFC in London, England.

Reddit | TVRCerberaIsLife

It very effectively proves that just buying some fried chicken can be made super creepy.

You can order personalized Toblerones.

Twitter | @gordihyena

However, you might want to be in a lucid, sober state to get one that's even remotely legible.

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