SYSK Gets Weird Playlist: The Story of the Nuclear Boy Scout

David Hahn was born in 1976 to divorced parents in suburban Detroit. At age 10, his stepgrandfather gave him The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments, which featured stories of Marie and Pierre Curie's radium discovery that captivated young David. Within two years, he was devouring advanced chemistry textbooks and conducting increasingly dangerous experiments that destroyed his bedroom and eventually got him banned from experimenting at his father's house. His early chemistry exploits included making nitroglycerin, catching a Boy Scout tent on fire with magnesium, and turning himself orange with a failed self-tanning experiment using canthoxanthin.

• David Hahn was born in October 1976 to parents Ken and Patty, who divorced when he was very young
• His mother Patty was diagnosed with depression and paranoid schizophrenia, was hospitalized throughout his childhood, and eventually took her own life in 1996
• At age 10, his stepgrandfather gave him The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments, which featured illustrated stories of the Curies' radium discovery
• By age 12, he was reading his father's advanced chemistry textbooks; by 14 he had made nitroglycerin
• His experiments destroyed his bedroom with stained carpets and wrecked walls, leading his parents to ban him from experimenting at home

When pushed by his father to become an Eagle Scout, David chose the obscure Atomic Energy merit badge that no one in his troop had ever attempted. The 1963 badge pamphlet, created with the nuclear energy industry, contained surprisingly detailed information about sourcing radioactive materials and reactor construction. David went beyond the badge requirements of building a cardboard model, deciding instead to construct an actual functioning neutron gun and eventually a nuclear reactor. He visited hospitals to learn about x-rays and became obsessed with creating a real nuclear chain reaction, showing the kind of scientific ambition unusual for a teenager.

• David's scoutmaster said no one had ever chosen the Atomic Energy badge in the history of the troop
• The 1963 Atomic Energy Badge pamphlet contained detailed information on sourcing radioactive materials and reactor construction
• Instead of building a cardboard model as required, David decided to build an actual functioning nuclear reactor
• The Boy Scouts eventually replaced the Atomic Energy badge with the Nuclear Science badge in 2005, likely due to David's story