Why can’t you chuck old drinking glasses in the bottle bank? And why is the light on emergency vehicles blue? 14 answers to 14 everyday questions

Did you know that the blue light on police cars and ambulances has something to do with the Nazis? Or that the brushes on escalators are a matter of safety, not cleanliness? If your answer is «no», you’re not alone. Until recently, I had no idea either. But after a little research online and a few chats with experts, I upped my knowledge.

As I’d like you to benefit from these fun facts about daily life too, I’ve been sharing my insights in short articles every now and then. Here, I’ve listed all fourteen articles as orderly as possible.

The series began with the question of why standard drinking glasses shouldn’t be put in a bottle bank but disposed of in your household waste.

This was followed by a DIY question that neither manufacturers nor carpenters could answer.

Power strips opened the floodgates to a lot of emotions in the Community. Who’d have thought that such an inconspicuous thing could fuel so much hatred?

For the physics question, I went all out and put pen to paper to create a drawing. And was ridiculed for it.

The issue with the frozen progress bar. I managed to resolve this one in-house.

Mosquito bites suck. Especially if you’re covered in them and the person next to you doesn’t have a single one. So what do experts recommend? Find yourself a new partner.

Those escalator brushes mentioned earlier.

The tiny word «OK» is a global sensation. All because of a meme dating back to the year 1839.

Nearly 100 years after the meme, a newly introduced German air-raid law forced police cars and ambulances to use blue lights.

Wolf down that ice cream? Greed often comes at the price of brain freeze – especially when you’re a teenager.

10-franc notes can rarely be drawn out of ATMs. The euro’s to blame for that.

I’ve got a whole drawer full of odd socks. Until recently, I thought the washing machine swallowed them. But apparently it’s more to do with human error.

Applause is the reward for artists. But also for the audience.

How come industrially produced pasta sheets never fit the dish? The Community doesn’t quite understand what my problem is and recommends just making the dough myself.

Why does the second hand of the Swiss railway clock pause before a new minute? Why is popcorn served at the movies? And why don’t beverage glasses go in the same bin as other glass? Everyday life is filled with intriguing questions, the answers to which I’m determined to find. If you have a burning question of your own but no time to research it, shoot me an e-mail. I like doing the dirty work.