If you think that boy scouts only occupy themselves by tying knots, carving wooden figurines and collecting various achievement patches to add on to their vests, then this true story of a boy scout turned into nuclear scientist will blow you away.

The story of David Charles Hahn (1976-2016) is not an ordinary one. The boy, since his early years, was always fascinated with chemistry and science and conducted numerous chemistry projects just for fun. However, no one really expected that one day he would actually build a fully functioning nuclear reactor in his own backyard as a result of one of his science projects.

Back in 1994, in a shed next to his mother’s house, the then 17-year-old David Hahn made a nuclear reactor from batteries, old clocks, lanterns, uranium from Czechoslovakia and duct tape. The science experiment attracted media attention and David was named the ‘Radioactive boy scout.’ Scroll down to read the full incredible story of David Hahn, which was shared by one internet user.

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David Hahn was a boy scout from a small town who was always fascinated with science and chemistry

Image credits: Weird History

David’s passion grew even further when he acquired ‘The Golden Book Of Chemistry Experiments,’ as a gift from his grandfather

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David converted his mother’s basement into a lab where he could conduct chemical experiments

Image credits: Weird History

During one accident, the family home was set on fire and Hahn’s mother decided that he should move his ‘lab’ into the shed in the backyard

Image credits: Sam Beebe

As a boy scout, David earned an Atomic Energy Merit Badge, which gave him the idea to build his own nuclear reactor

He got in touch with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and started corresponding with them, pretending to be a physics teacher

Image credits: Drew Olanoff

After the project was finished, the radiation levels in the area had risen dramatically, so David decided to dismantle the reactor

Image credits: Andrew Back

While trying to get rid of it, David was stopped by the police and arrested. The authorities had cleared the shed off all nuclear materials

Image credits: Weird History

David never agreed to do any tests to determine any possible damage done by his experiments, due to fear of what he might find

Sadly, Hahn passed away in 2016 aged just 39, due to alcohol poisoning

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