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Original poster

Something weird just happened can anyone explain?

35 replies

Ilovechinese · 17/04/2023 23:10

Okay I'm a bit freaked out now, a glass just exploded and smashed that was on my table. No one was near it or anything. Does anyone have any explanations what could have caused this to happen?

OP posts:
Crinkle77 · 17/04/2023 23:29

It probably had a tiny crack in it that you hadn't noticed.

ComtesseDeSpair · 17/04/2023 23:30

Most likely a near-invisible hairline fracture or other weakness which suddenly gave. I’ve had it happen with a wine glass. And my old iPhone screen suddenly shattered the other week when I was just holding the phone in my hand. It’s been dropped several times but never cracked, but there was clearly a very tiny chip or pressure point just waiting to go.

QueenSmartypants · 17/04/2023 23:30

Crinkle77 · 17/04/2023 23:29

It probably had a tiny crack in it that you hadn't noticed.

Plus changes in temperature or picking up vibrations from something

Dithyramb · 17/04/2023 23:32

ComtesseDeSpair · 17/04/2023 23:30

Most likely a near-invisible hairline fracture or other weakness which suddenly gave. I’ve had it happen with a wine glass. And my old iPhone screen suddenly shattered the other week when I was just holding the phone in my hand. It’s been dropped several times but never cracked, but there was clearly a very tiny chip or pressure point just waiting to go.

Yes. Or poltergeists, obviously. Or an invisible, inaudible soprano giving it some welly alongside.

bellabelly · 17/04/2023 23:35

This happened to me - a wine glass in a restaurant in Paris! Thankfully, it was an empty wine glass. DH called the waiter over and explained what had happened - it just shattered all on its own, I wasn't touching it or anything. The waiter raised an eyebrow and hummed the Twilight Zone tune, then cleared it up. It was pretty freaky!

DHsPoorBack · 17/04/2023 23:35

A glass bauble once did this in front of me, so whilst it's unsettling, and I don't know why it did it, yes, glass can indeed just shatter for the hell of it

HoundOfTheBasketballs · 17/04/2023 23:39

This used to happen a lot when I worked in pubs and bars. Glasses just randomly exploding.
Basically, if the structure has come under enough pressure over a period of time, for example you've picked that glass up and put it down and knocked it against things over a long period, eventually it becomes so fragile that it "pops" for no apparent reason.
It's not your long dead aunty May sending you a sign from the other side.

Sortyourlifeout · 17/04/2023 23:41

It'll be a temperature thing or a small crack. Nothing to worry about.

I'd be more concerned about the ghost standing behind you...

Moopsi · 17/04/2023 23:42

This happened to one of my windows! Was so scary at the time. The window guy said it happens surprisingly often, especially with older windows. I thought someone was breaking in at first but there was absolutely nothing there, not even any wind.

NeatCompactSleeper · 17/04/2023 23:50

I just Googled 'Why did my glass explode' and PPs are right OP, it happens.

Must've been a shock though.

Maverickess · 17/04/2023 23:51

As pp have said it will have been weakened somehow over time and either finally gave out or a change in temperature made it finally shatter, I think it's something to do with air getting in through the crack and then expanding with temperature and thus breaking - but I could be wrong.
I've had a fair few shatter in my hand as I've gone to lift them off of the shelf, or more commonly out of the glasswasher.
One 'haunted' place I worked we had a dodgy batch of glasses that got recalled by the brewery, but not before there'd been some spectacular explosions on shelves, full of lager and in the glasswash. It certainly added weight to the haunted theory until the brewery recalled them and it was lucky no one was hurt really because they really did explode!
However the pool balls flying off the table right in front of a few of us wasn't so easily explained..... 👻😂

LegArmpits · 17/04/2023 23:54

Pyrex mugs do this as well.

hadenoughofhisshit · 17/04/2023 23:55

Sortyourlifeout · 17/04/2023 23:41

It'll be a temperature thing or a small crack. Nothing to worry about.

I'd be more concerned about the ghost standing behind you...

😂😂

Original poster
Ilovechinese · 18/04/2023 00:00

Thank you all for putting my mind at rest and to the person whose window broke that must have been really scary!

OP posts:
IKnowItsNotMine · 18/04/2023 00:07

My Pyrex bowl exploded into a million pieces while it was sat on my draining board.
No one was near it.

RollingInTheAisles · 18/04/2023 00:12

HoundOfTheBasketballs · 17/04/2023 23:39

This used to happen a lot when I worked in pubs and bars. Glasses just randomly exploding.
Basically, if the structure has come under enough pressure over a period of time, for example you've picked that glass up and put it down and knocked it against things over a long period, eventually it becomes so fragile that it "pops" for no apparent reason.
It's not your long dead aunty May sending you a sign from the other side.

This, plus repeated super hot dishwasher use.

JMSA · 18/04/2023 00:16

Moopsi · 17/04/2023 23:42

This happened to one of my windows! Was so scary at the time. The window guy said it happens surprisingly often, especially with older windows. I thought someone was breaking in at first but there was absolutely nothing there, not even any wind.

Same! I was aware of a really loud noise - I thought at first it was my upstairs neighbour falling through the ceiling! - and it was a cracked window. Happened so suddenly and with nobody touching it. I looked up the cause and it was something to do with the inside and outside temperatures being very different. Thermalsomethingorother.

BreviloquentBastard · 18/04/2023 00:16

Demons

But seriously, this is actually a regular occurrence in my house. I've chosen to believe my husband that it's because it's an old building and the temperature fluctuates a lot, and the dishwasher causes micro cracks that create weak points.

Still, sometimes, the part of me that binge watched Charmed in the 00's thinks... Demons.

My281NewestName · 18/04/2023 00:19

Same happened to us on holiday. A full pint glass just exploded. It was on the table and no-one touched it. Several people saw it happen and stared on in amazement. Thankfully I had soaked trousers but no cuts.

CastlesinSpain · 18/04/2023 00:22

My friends came back from a holiday to find the glass door of their shower had completely shattered.

DeflatedAgain · 18/04/2023 00:36

I used to work in a bar in my younger days and it happened alllllll the time.

Usually due to the dishwasher being very hot and then stored on a cold shelf after.

Would happen in my hand when about to pour a pint etc.

BensonStabler · 18/04/2023 01:15

It’s because glass stores stress.

Internal stresses can develop in the glass, which can exceed the strength of the glass, resulting in breakage.

Tiredandbored · 18/04/2023 01:42

It happened to my TV stand. Came downstairs one morning to find the glass shelf (fortunately not the top one the TV was sitting on!) had completely shattered into thousands of bits. We hadn't even put it in the dishwasher once...

Liorae · 18/04/2023 01:45

BensonStabler · 18/04/2023 01:15

It’s because glass stores stress.

Internal stresses can develop in the glass, which can exceed the strength of the glass, resulting in breakage.

It happened with our glass shower doors in the middle of the night! Broke into tiny glass cubes.

DGay · 18/04/2023 01:54

I has a small glass table that shattered into a million pieces for no reason. It was a mess to clean up.

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