Posted on 04/20/2023 7:54:42 PM PDT by DallasBiff
“I put one on the edge of the box and lit it. It fell into the box and sparks went everywhere. Several cheery bombs went off; the garage with a can of gasoline was five feet away.
God was looking out for me that day (He always has). I could have blown up half the neighborhood.”
Decades ago when I was in midteens we would take a water squirt gun, get a Bick pen take the ink cartridge out of it and then tape the now empty plastic tube to it, fashion a shield out cardboard placed just ahead of the squirt gun grip.
Insert Bottle Rocket into ink pen tube and light, usually with one of those cork long lighters and fire away at other teen “enemy” great fun
One day me and 2 other guys were defending against about 6 others and doing really well until I realized we were in a barn with about 500 dry bales of hay. Had sense enough to stop things. Dad might have killed me had we burned that barn down.
Hmm, slip n slide, toy guns, clackers, chemistry set, sling shot.
“Austin Magic Pistol and Mattel’s Belt Buckle Derringer, both from the ‘50s. The former used “magic crystals” — a.k.a. calcium carbide — to launch ping pong balls.”
Mixed with water, that makes acetylene. See YouTube for people filling a bag with acetylene and detonating it.
Hard to believe the RedRanger Rifle didn’t make the list. Maybe the author never saw the movie.
Ah yes, the mid teens. I think I was about that age when the bottle rocket incident occurred. A few days later the neighbor came over with another box of firecrackers for me.
Needless to say my mother was livid!
I was much more careful with the new fireworks (no bottle rockets in the new set).
>> my favorite childhood toy, Dry Cleaner Bag didn’t make the list... man, they were fun!
ROFL!
They don't make stuff like that anymore. Everybody's too dumb, or scared...
Lawn darts were Darwinian gates that helped weed out the idiots. Every boy should also be give a bow and arrow to eventually shoot straight up. Those that don’t learn from the first “that’s dump” immediate thought needs to be weeded out.
One word: JARTS!
https://youtu.be/zdoHGrCmskc
I’m surprise 4 wheelers, mopeds or sling shots were not on here.
Sling shots were on the list.
Bottlerockets didn’t make the list?
>> Lawn darts were Darwinian gates
Yep. When Dad had recently come home from Europe or Korea or Vietnam to raise his young’uns, there was a certain different perspective as to what constituted worthwhile educational materials. ;-)
>> Polyvinyl acetate and acetone inhaled through a straw.
What could go wrong??!?
Well said, sir!
Is a three wheeler in the 1980’s considered a toy?
If so, I never cared for them.(My back still hurts on occasion)
Cap guns aren’t dangerous. What’s dangerous is whacking an entire roll of caps on the sidewalk with a hammer. Ears ring much?
We used to play on farm impliments.
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