Boy Scout's Risky 'Science Project' Makes Him Neighborhood Pariah
David Charles Hahn didn't exactly fit the mold of the outdoorsy boy scout. Veering away from the typical knot-tying and hiking, his interests fell more in the sciences, specifically chemistry. David's love of science pushed him to conduct experiments every now and again — some more dangerous than others — but little did he know that one 1994 experiment would change his life forever.
Forever Changing Golf Manor
Golf Manor, Michigan, was supposed to be a convenient, easy place to live. But resident David Hahn, born in 1976, changed that in the '90s, as he just couldn't be bothered by the mundanity of his surroundings. Though David's beginnings were somewhat normal, according to Harper's Magazine, his passions shifted at 10 years old.
All-American Boy
David, a child of divorce, split time between his re-partnered parents' houses. He played baseball and soccer and was a Boy Scout — an all-American kid. But when his grandfather gifted 10-year-old David with The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments, a 1960 children's chemistry book, it sparked something in him.
Chemistry 101
His love of science grew fast, so fast that he'd gone from flipping through The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments to devouring his father's college chemistry textbooks in just two years. He even set up a makeshift laboratory in his bedroom at his dad's house, complete with plenty of beakers, Bunsen burners, and test tubes.
A Mad Scientist
It wasn't long before 14-year-old David learned to make nitroglycerine, a highly explosive acid. Chemical spills and other scientific mishaps became the norm in his dad's home, so after David destroyed his bedroom, he was forced to conduct his experiments in the basement.
