I can't quite tell from the angle, but I think it might be an ancient type of ladle. The handle has a tube running through it and there are holes on the bottom.

You dip the ball into water, let it fill up, then plug the tube with your thumb. Pressure keeps the water inside the ball, and you can then pour the water out as you will.

Haha. Looks like my first comment was flagged for inappropriate language.

While I agree that Cracked's articles are usually interesting, they ARE Cracked's. This makes quite a few that the queuebot has let through. Not to mention I didn't neatorama was the type of site to use the word "bullshit".