•June 22, 2016•

by Mike Brothers
NP Managing Editor

I was in the fifth grade at the time and had yet to uncover my full capacity for stupid human tricks.

So when Steve Nelson and I were assigned an outside science project by Mr. Harris in the fifth grade, it became a challenge to create some sort of explosion.

That particular instinct has led me to several close calls over time.

I had just seen this old movie on television about Pompeii and how it and a bunch of other Roman cities were destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius volcano.

Even though it was old and in black and white, the way fire shot from the volcano followed by rivers of hot molten lava frightened and impressed me at the same time.

Thousands of people died as six inches of lava covered the southwestern Italian coastal towns, which gave it enough historic importance to sell to Mr. Harris.

What I talked Steve into was building our own volcano. So when we had to get project approval, that was our plan.

“Mr. Harris, we want to build a volcano like Mt. Vesuvius,” was our request.

“How?” was his reply.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.