Boy Scout builds nuclear reactor in backyard and exposes 40,000 locals to radiation

David Hahn

The protagonist of this story, David Hahn, was an ordinary young man from Michigan in the United States. He lived with his mother in Detroit. From an early age, David had been obsessed with chemistry. Where other children express this interest by mixing different shampoos so that they can feel like a scientist, David took a different approach.

At the age of fourteen David already managed to manufacture nitroglycerin. Nitro-what? Nitroglycerin. The main component of dynamite, a very powerful explosive. Not exactly what comes to mind when you think of introducing your child to the wonders of chemistry.

His environment soon noticed that David was engaged in special experiments…