Nuclear Fission on the Stovetop

A photo of a 'meltdown' on nuclear experimenter Richard Handl's kitchen stove. 

Photos: Handl via Richard's Reactor

People take up some crazy hobbies out there: building elaborate model trains, collecting dusty old stamps, attempting to split the atom in their kitchen in order to solve the world's energy crisis. Yes, it appears that an intrepid young Swedish man obtained a supply of uranium, radium, and other radioactive elements, and had proceeded to build a small nuclear fission reactor in his kitchen. He was conducting experiments in his apartment -- and keeping a public blog of the results -- when it occurred to him that his activities might be against the law. So he phoned the police, and sure enough, was immediately arrested for possessing nuclear materials.

Article continues: Man Arrested for Attempting to Split the Atom in his Kitchen