Guy up in Michigan (not the UP, but down near the Indiana line) decided to celebrate the Fourth of July by shooting off the salute cannon his grandpa used to shoot off.

The guy loaded it to the muzzle with smokeless powder (nitrocellulose), not with the ounce or so of old-fashioned black powder it was designed for.

It made a big bang alright -- and some of the chunks hit two neighbors and killed them both. The guy had taken an antique and turned it into a bomb.

Yes, he was arrested and yes, he was imprisoned (10-15 for manslaughter).

Or the report some years back in the Associate Press. Seems like a guy in West St. Paul, Minnesota decided to take a bath in gasoline (petrol). Naturally he wanted this to be a romantic occassion (I guess) so he lit several candles to give it the proper atmosphere.

He was killed in the resulting explosion and his apartment was shifted on its floor joists.

And just think -- we're still working on reaching the top!