The True Story of the Radioactive Boy Scout
He wanted to be the smartest guy around, then he ended up in jail
In August 1994, Metro Detroit nearly suffered a nuclear disaster. A young man, David Hahn, had been experimenting with building a nuclear reactor in his mom's garage. As word spread, the question lingered, how had this happened?Hahn was one of the top students in his class. He took to science class right away, always wanting to experiment and see how things worked. Teachers thought he was exceptional and encouraged the lad to continue seeing how things worked.
His parents bought him, The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments. It has been reported that this was the gift that got him interested in chemistry and experimenting with different chemicals. His parents and teachers loved that he seemed to be invested in learning.
Their support would be tested within a few years.
After trying every experiment in the children’s book, Hahn ditched it in favor of his father’s college textbooks. This move led to more tests that were increasingly dangerous.
Each new experiment brought new dangers to the young man and his family. Explosions in and around the house were commonplace. It didn’t take long for his parents to ban him from conducting these tests in his room. He would often cause a lot of damage to the floor and break windows.
His favorite chemical to experiment with was nitroglycerine. One of the key ingredients in making dynamite.
Rather than keep an eye on his son, Hahn’s father banished him to the basement to conduct his experiments.
The move to the basement only accelerated the dangerous experiments. Shortly after the move, Hahn set red phosphorus on fire. It resulted in an explosion that rocked the house on its foundation and sent the teen to the hospital to have glass particles removed from his eyes. This was the final straw, his father banished any further experiments from his house.
His mother offered her garage, instead.
Nuclear Interest
Despite his parents' concerns, Hahn was getting good grades and his teachers were complimenting him on his academic abilities. However, his father wasn't convinced. There was some worry that the young man was going too far in his scientific explorations.
Hahn built a high-tech lab in his mother’s shed.
To ease his father's worries, Hahn agreed to become more active in the Boy Scouts. His new goal was to become an Eagle Scout. This was in order for him to stop experimenting with chemicals and do more things outside, make some friends.
The opposite happened.
It was while researching merit badges he could earn that Hahn came across the ideal one for him: Atomic Energy. In 1994, the organization offered it to encourage the use of nuclear power. Over a decade later, the Boy Scouts discontinued it as an achievable badge.
One of the reason was because of what happened with Hahn. He set about building a nuclear reactor during the summer of 1994. His scoutmaster was pleased with the progress he saw. Particularly the sketches depicting how the reactor would look.
The merit badge only required the sketches.
The teen had other plans, though. He began gathering material such as thorium, americium-241, radium-226, uranium, and other radioisotopes. Once all the materials were collected, Hahn built his own nuclear reactor. And nobody knew it.
At least not at first.
Radioactive Boy Scout
Hahn began to realize that his experiment was growing more and more dangerous. One afternoon he walked around the neighborhood with a Geiger Counter and was shocked to see radiation hundreds and thousands of feet away.
As a result, he knew that it needed to be taken care of and disposed of.
On August 31, 1994, neighbors called the police because they thought he was stealing tires. Hahn made up an excuse about why he was out at that time, but the officers did not believe him.
As officers suspected that Hahn was engaging in a drug deal, they checked his car. During the search, they found the nuclear reactor, along with other radioactive materials.
They arrested the young man on the spot.
The Michigan State Police Bomb Squad was called in to investigate Hahn's reactor once he was placed in custody. Hahn denied that it was a bomb. Although the device wasn't explosive, there was enough radioactivity to trigger the Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan.
The situation spiraled from there. The Environmental Protection Agency declared his mother's property a superfund site, a designation for extreme and hazardous conditions.
In spite of his successful experiment, Hahn faced a scandal that rocked the community. He was shunned by those around him. Friends and family distanced themselves from the young man.
Some officials at the Boy Scouts wanted to take away his Atomic Energy badge and title of Eagle Scout. Those people were overruled.
It was one of the only wins Hahn had, along with not spending a lot of time in jail.
He sank into a depression.
Later in life, he would end up in jail for various experiments and misdemeanor crimes. Hahn often pushed the limits of what was acceptable.
Hahn passed away at the age of 36 in 2016. At the time of his passing, he was still recognized for his more than 20 years prior.