Catbeard the Pirate!

Click here to read more about explosions in grain elevators.

I saw this demonstrated when I was in fifth grade. Our school’s special education teacher also dealt with the sciences, and occasionally he would come into class and show us something neat. One day he decided to demonstrate how the right mixture of oxygen and grain could cause a huge explosion. He took a coffee can with a small amount of flour in the bottom and a tube inserted into a hole drilled in the side and set it on the desk in front, then lit a match and fixed it to the top of the can, over the opening. With a small puff of air into the tube he created a huge fireball over the top of the can. I’ve never forgotten it; it was one of the most impressive demonstrations I’ve ever seen in school. Feel free to try this one yourself, if you’re a total pyro and you want to singe off your eyebrows or something. 😀