Impossible bottle
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An impossible bottle is a type of mechanical puzzle. It is a bottle that has an object inside of it which does not appear to fit through the mouth of the bottle.
The ship in a bottle is a traditional type of impossible bottle. Other common objects used include matchboxes, decks of cards, tennis balls, racketballs, Rubik's cubes, padlocks, knots and scissors.
In nearly every impossible bottle, the result is something that looks impossible to one who does not know the secret as their name implies.
However, contrary to popular belief, a "ship in a bottle" is first assembled outside of the bottle, then placed inside. This then seems impossible, without knowing the secret of the ship.
There are said to be as few as 12 individuals alive today who have mastered the art of impossible bottle making, and the secrets are jealously guarded; rarely shared with those who ask.[citation needed] Instead the bottle maker is encouraged to allow the curious individual to ask them questions, and eventually find their own solution, causing them to "think outside the bottle" as they say.
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Harry Eng was a well known creator of impossible bottles.
