Radioactive Boy Scout - How Teen David Hahn Built a Nuclear Reactor 

Inmate: I’m in for double murder David: I built a nuclear reactor

-Aren't you a little young to build a nuclear reactor? -Yes. Yes, I am.

Boy teaches himself chemistry, even synthesizing nitroglycerin: His Dad: you need to focus on something that is more useful, like getting boy scout badges. My dude.

I gotta admit, I admire his ambition, inventiveness, perseverance, and creativity. He is an example of "You can do anything you put your mind to."

Creates nuclear reactor in his backyard Everyone: 💤 Steals tires Everyone: 👀👀

"MOOOOM PHINEAS AND FERB ARE BUILDING A NUCLEAR REACTOR IN THE BACK YARD" "That's nice Candice"

he was a budding scientist. He should of been guided to a safe process. he had so much potential. RIP David

in a parallel universe... there is a great scientist called David Hahn

The real crime here is how they wasted away not cultivating the potential on David.

David: "look mom i build a nuclear reactor". Mom: "thats nice honey".

9:58 lmao "he wasn't stealing tires, he was just loading a nuclear reactor into his trunk."

As a Eagle, Class of 1973, I admire what David wanted to do..create energy ...he should have had guidance with this project...he and the entire family were fortunate, no one got sick or were injured...Again, the idea and the motivation of David was very admirable...he needed a college professor as a mentor...bless his heart !!

Sometimes I’m worried the government is tracking everything I do but then remember a 14 year old bought uranium from Czechoslovakia and I relax a bit

Tragic, he could have been a good scientist and contributed to the world with a little guidance from any of the adults in his life. They truly failed him .

I am Davids cousin so I will shed a little light on a few of the inaccuracies of most the documentaries on him. Davids mother was my mothers aunt. My Grandfathers sister. My aunt patty actually suffered from Paranoid schizophrenia which david was later diagnosed with while in the Marine Corps. She had shot herself which she died from the infection. David was actually pretty average in most school subjects with the exception of Science and Chemistry. He was obsessed with the boy scouts becoming one of the few to earn the atomic badge.His end goal was to find a cure for cancer. He actually spent much of his life at our Grandmothers house in Berkley MI. David did not get in much trouble for this incident instead he went on to join the Us Navy and served honorably on the USS Enterprise. While in the navy is when he began to show signs of his disorder as everytime he came home for the holidays he became stranger and stranger. He used to say he knew something and the government was going to kill him. He even provided a video tape to my Grandpa and asked him to hide it. It mysterously dissappeared from his house while David was on active duty. After the Navy David joined the Marine Corps where he was finally placed in a facility and diagnosed with his disorder. He continued being monitored by law enforcement local and federal as he continued his habbits of stealing smoke detectors to extract the materials. David was sadly found dead in a walmart bathroom and the family will miss him. On a side note he was very normal growing up. Also one of the ways David originally found radioactive materials is he had made a detection device when he was a teen.

“Mooooooooom! David is building a nuclear reactor in the potting shed!”

David sounded like a genius who didn’t receive any guidance for his intelligence. It’s sad what happened to him.

David: *Creates a nuclear reactor in his backyard* Also David: *Hits a pile of red phosphorus with a hammer like a goddamn caveman*

They shouldn’t have made him a criminal, but encouraged him to study in a safe manner. He was a brilliant and talented child, who could have made important discoveries. Truly tragic.

What’s even sadder is the fact that his mom and her boyfriend were proud of his work ethic and probably thought that he was working on something really fascinating and wonderful… But never to this scale… And they could’ve put a stop to it if they had checked in on him

“Are you too young to be buying radioactive products?” “Why yes, yes i am.”

That’s some Tony Stark shit right there “Built a nuclear reactor out of household items in his backyard when he was 17”

If this kid had been recognized, we might have unlimited power by now.

Kid deserves all the credit in the world. Unfortunately all the adults in his life weren't competent enough to guide him.

Everyone: “Hey aren’t you a bit young to be ordering radioactive material?” David: “Yes, yes I am”

Ignoring small explosions and chemical spills in their son's room lol The great lottery gives them a genius kid and they basically neglect him

Love how fixated he is on no one asking questions back then. Was a normal thing back in the 80s and early 90s, heck you used to be able to by uranium kits back in the 60s and 70s

Near to me there is a site of an old chemical company that was shut down. The clean up took years and several feet of earth was removed and then new dirt was brought in and piled up nearly 20' over the site. About a decade later the town decided it would be a great place to build their new soccer fields.

if he had the proper guidance he seems like the type who could have made some real breakthroughs, it’s a shame no one saw his raw talent and directed him accordingly.

“This was David freakin Hahn, he was an Eagle Scout”

This kid was incredibly smart. Such a shame he was never given a platform to show his intelligence

He was a genius, purely self taught, off the chain, precious. AND THE NEGLECT of any adult recognizing or fostering & mentoring that GIFT....such a waste. So brilliant.

In the old days, the government would have hired him.

He earned that badge, because NOBODY knew what the hell he was talking about.

This happened in 1993. Hahn was 10 in 1986. There wasn’t anything unusual AT ALL for a kid in the 70s and 80s to have a real science kit with dangerous or even radioactive chemicals, Bunsen burners, real beakers, etc. He built a really remarkable lab for himself. I had a kit like that and loved it. I went on to be very successful in the sciences. It’s really sad that this kid didn’t have any mentors even tho he did have encouragement. Seems like the adults in his life weren’t very present or stable. A really remarkable mind. Weird history you don’t really seem to know much about history in context.

“ One day we’re gonna run out of oil “ this kid only wanted to help

It's kind of sad when you think about it. With just a little moderation from superiors, his guy could've changed the world.

“Guys trust me, I didn’t steel a tire, I was putting a nuclear reactor in my truck” Police:”oh..........wait”

The sorrow is the kid was a genius and too smart for the adults around him to help him direct it.

I think he could have become brilliant if he was given mentor figures to help with safety and direction.

_"I am limited by the technology of my time"_ -David Hanh

this should be a movie

“Or they had partial meltdowns” Me too... me too.

Still no adults have stepped in, best line ever

It could have been worse. He could have been smoking marijuana.

Damn I can't believe he really made Chernobyl Pocket Edition just like that.

This actually gives me hope for humanity. To me, the worst case scenario for the human species is young people turning into TikTok addicts and destroying their ability to concentrate. David is a driven, determined genius. We need more like him. Yeah I get that radiation is scary but being alive is scary. If you want to experience terrible sickness and have a messy, horrific death, just be born, it'll happen guaranteed.

Man, that's heartbreaking. Sounds like the kid was a genius with good intentions...but needed WAY more guidance and supervision. Sounds like there were so many red flags.

* Survives high levels of radioactivity * * *Dies of Alcohol poisoning* *

"This is David Freakin Hahn, he's an eagle scout" 😂

This is so crazy to me that you made a video about this. When I was born, my parents bought the house directly behind his and my mom remembers that day so clearly!

Let this be a Lesson if your child shows interest in something and or potential...Guide them. Help them to grow and prosper. the world needs more creators.

He almost made Chernobyl Lite

If any adult would've seen his potential he could've been something big

Me: mommy can I buy a wine bottle in my birthday? Mum: No!! You're underage Me: but this kid bought uranium and radioactive materials

I have a Atomic Energy Badge when I was in Boy Scouts back in the 90s. I Made it to Eagle Scouts but, I basically Retired from Scouts in early 2000s.

14 years old Kid: builds a nuclear reactor Me 15 years old: struggles in simple math

"Nerds " : " David , look what happens when we put mentos in a soda bottle." David : " Hold my beaker ."

Another lesson from this is always check in on your kids and their activities/interests and put a stop to it if it’s dangerous or getting out of hand as his parents should have in the very first place.

Son: *doesen’t do homework* Mom: “YOU ARE GROUNDED FOR 3 WEEKS LITTLE TIMMY! *Sigh* I wish I had a better son.” Son: *Creates nuclear reactor on her backyard* Mom: “Who cares?”

If he was guided in the right path he would have had such potential.

Father: what are you working on, Son: the Manhattan Project

He definitely was awarded the “glowing Boy Scout” badge.

A person like David is an absolute gift to the world and he reminds me very much of when my father was a child. It's heartbreaking he didn't have the right guidance and idiot/neglectful parents.

1990s: *builds a nuclear reactor in his mom's backyard.* 2016: *dies of alcohol poisoning.*

Friend: YOU CAN’T MAKE A GODDAMN NUCLEAR REACTOR AS A TEENAGER Him: hold my caprisun

“Everyone is just winging it” truer words have never been spoken.

"Son, if you're going to make destructive materials that are a threat to the safety of others, please do it out of sight and in the basement."

"David built a nuclear reactor out of common household items" *buys uranium from Czechoslovakia.*

This dude had Chernobyl in his backyard

"because why the hell wouldn't that be possible!". Made me LOL.

2:07 at this point they should’ve seen the potential he had. A genius, he could’ve been working for Lockheed Martin, NASA or the military, I mean this is a boy doing this kind of stuff. Imagine what kind of amazing work he could’ve done if his parents or teachers put him through one of these corporations. He’d could’ve made inventions, solved problems, people like these are weird, but we call it weird because we’re too stupid to understand their intelligence, and the gifts they have. It’s sad what he went through.

Stealing Tires from cars David: no I’m loading my nuclear reactor into my car

I wonder if his parents ever took him to see Santa near Christmas “What presents do you want this year David?” “Uranium”

How hard would it have been to just put David in a few AP Chemistry courses, maybe find a nuclear research program at a nearby university, and give him the safety-minded guidance he needed?

This guy is very inspirational ngl

You dont "take away" something that a kid is good at, you supervise and ensure their safety, Nurture them like good parents.

Why do you paint him like a bad guy? The guy was a loose genius

"And a few more adults would have to not ask any more questions" That deserves an award, it should be in the Lexicon of every language and culture

I’m from originally South Eastern Michigan.. so when I stumbled upon this video, I had to look up David Hahn. I am just now learning that I was one of the people he exposed to radiation. I would have been 1 years old at the time of this craziness. Wtaf.

Marty McFly: “You don’t just walk into a store and buy plutonium.” David: “Hold my merit badges.”

He joined the navy after the scandal and was stationed on the USS ENTERPRISE, the first nuclear powered carrier, if that’s not a coincidence I don’t know what it.

“This is David Freekin Hahn, he’s an Eagle Scout” Lmfao

Kid: Hey mum! I made nitroglycerine! Want to watch me blow up my bedside table? Mum: oh thats nice son, so clever

damn it really sucks. he had the brains and the passion and could’ve done something really great

Book: Don’t do this at home David: makes a nuclear reactor in his backyard

A tragic life, in a way. He had such incredible potential.

I got the atomic energy badge as a scout. I used to live close enough to Three Mile Island that the troop took a tour, which covered most of the requirements.

Sounds like David was incredibly intelligent and misunderstood.

I find the saddest part of his story in being, he ended up dying of an overdose combo of alcohol and fentanyl in Sep of 2016, at the age of 39. Such a waste of such a smart person. He could have done so much with his life. At the very least, he could have had one hell of an interesting RU-vid channel, if he was still around.

i have not laughed this hard in a while from a youtube video. the amount of shade this narrator throws is SO FUNNY. Im cracking up at the parent jokes. This was comedy. The phone call to czeck slovakia KILLED me. (sorry if i spelt that wrong)

Sounds like the entire family deserved a darwin award

David: *dies of overexposure to radioactive substances* His mom: "Its that damn phone!"

David Hahn: * could’ve died various times from chemical explosions and radioactive elements * David Hahn: actually dies of alcohol poisoning

"...and he had a history of blowing himself up" lol

I completely ignored the dangerous aspects to this story, because ya’ll made it hilarious.

Shouldn't have arrested him. They should have hired him. Smart lad.

the "kid" took action and dismantled his makeshift reactor as soon as he realized it was dangerous.the so called "adults" waited months before they took action and clean up the site, because they didn't feel responsible. now tell me who is the one to blame?

"The Police Were Called Because People Thought He Was Stealing Tyres" He Wasn't... *"He Was Simply Loading A Nuclear Reactor Into His Own Car"*

Some things that are so complex to most, are so crystal clear to others. Like the kid taking advanced physics, or the kid that was selling his oil paintings in the 10th grade (Solomon Perry), to the guy that can fix any car without ever going to school. Some people are just more advanced.