When most teenagers are worried about getting their driver's license, David Hahn was busy building a nuclear reactor in his mom's backyard shed using smoke detectors, camping lanterns, and an alarming amount of duct tape.
Meet the "Radioactive Boy Scout" who turned earning a merit badge into a federal nuclear incident.
In this episode of History's Greatest Idiots, we explore the jaw-dropping true story of a 17-year-old Michigan teenager who catfished the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, stockpiled radioactive materials from household items, and successfully built a functioning neutron source that contaminated an entire neighbourhood in what became one of America's most bizarre nuclear accidents.
From dismantling hundreds of smoke detectors for americium to posing as "Professor Hahn" to trick government scientists into sending him nuclear reactor blueprints, David's quest for atomic energy turned suburban Michigan into a Superfund cleanup site and sparked a major nuclear security investigation costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Join us as we dive into how one ambitious Boy Scout's backyard science experiment nearly irradiated five city blocks, fooled federal agencies, and became one of the most terrifying examples of DIY nuclear physics and teenage overachievement in American history.
Spoiler alert: it doesn't end well for the Nuclear Boy Scout.
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Artist: Sarah Chey
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Animation: Daniel Wilson
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Music: Andrew Wilson
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