Remember the old days when experimenting with chemicals was actively encouraged, and I don't mean drugs like now.
There was a hardware store that used to sell small bottles of various chemicals and they were near the toy section.
Yah back in mid 70's for some reason unknown my parents sent for Xmas a chemestery set to my son when he was 12. His Dad took one look at the kit and wondered when the boys would blow the roof off the house.
The boys had all ready made pvc pipe bombs to send tennis balls down the street a few blocks. Males for some reason like to blow things up, nothing new.
Some how I believe some of the thrill to both boys and girls may come from watching fire works and as this is seldom seen but once or twice in the year a big thing in their young lives.
Example, Fire that seems to facinate some kids. These kids seldom see fire and are curious-----Those that live in a home with a fireplace and see it every day, sit in the warmth and watch the logs burn know what fire can do. No curiousity here the kids KNOW about fire.
We had in past years 2 fires set by my kids friends, one was hospitalised for a month, the other darn near blew up my garage. What did the parents do for the the boy but to teach him about fire by taking a lighter to his finger and burning the tips of his fingers.
Insanity here, kids and young adults are curious about fire and how to make a bomb or what not.
My very best friend had a son of 17 that decided to take the power out of over the counter fire crackers and make a pipe bomb. Just for fun, he and 3 friends found a pipe , never checked it but filled it with
the powder. The kids went off to a dirt road and found a place to set it off. Oh what fun for the teenagers.
The Pipe was cloged with mud and when set on fire before it could be thrown it went off to take the eye and face bones of my friends son, and injure 2 of the kids waching.
