Rummaging through my cupboard, trying to tidy it up to escape the torrents of reprimands from Mom, I chanced upon an old stack of Reader’s Digest magazines. Every attempt to tidy up my cupboard has resulted in making my room more untidy with no visible signs of a tidied up cupboard – but that is a different issue. Flipping through its pages brought back a lot of cherished childhood memories.
Of special interest was the story of David Hahn – a 17-year old American teenager who set out and almost succeeded in building his own Fast Breeder Nuclear Reactor in 1997. The story came at time when I was slowly becoming aware of the mystical thing called Nuclear Energy and the Bhramaastra that could be made – Nuclear Weapons.
So naturally I lapped up the story with all the enthusiasm of a child devouring his favorite ice-cream or receiving his first bicycle.
I had completely forgotten this story – until today. Googling threw up online editions of the story – A must Read
The radioactive boy scout: When a teenager attempts to build a breeder reactor
Alternate link:
If you are a pre-pubescent Science buff: Take a good hard look at the current face of Mr. David Hahn. These sores and blisters are a result of his exposure to excessive harmful Radiation.
You ain’t going to bag no girl with a face like that..bewarned
Godspeed