MythBusters is a popular television show that is aired on Discovery. The two main hosts are Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman and both of them use science to test popular myths, rumors, movie scenes, and more to try and see if they are true or false.
Adam and Jamie have done a variety of experiments in a variety of places. Their experiments range from exploding trees to firing dangerous weapons, and even occasional food experiments! Many of their experiments are judged accurately and there are only a few minor mishaps. Unfortunately on December 7, 2011 one of their experiments went incredibly wrong.
Testing a myth revolving around a cannon firing in Dublin California, the MythBusters boy’s thought they had it under control. They were outside of the neighborhood and in a bomb range at Camp Parks. When they fired a cannon ball however, they realized that they seriously miscalculated something. The cannon ball went completely off track and into the nearby neighborhood striking several buildings before landing in a van.
This cannon ball was traveling at 1000 feet per second (the speed of a bullet), when it blasted through a couple’s house. The cannon went straight through the front door and blasted out on the other side of the house through the sleeping couple’s bedroom. From there the cannon wizzed across a street and struck a rooftop before it finally reached its final destruction point. The rooftop wasn’t seriously damaged, however the van that the cannon ball hit and stayed in had a busted window and some other significant damage.
Thankfully no one was hurt throughout the entire process, however many were shocked at the realization that a cannon ball had just come barreling through their neighborhood. Thankfully the van owner wasn’t in the van as he claims he had just parked it minutes before the cannon ball struck.
So what will the effects of this freak accident be on the show? Unfortunately it’s not very clear as it just happened the other day, however many hope that the MythBusters show takes heed of the serious dangers that their tests pose to others and keep all of their experiments well away from homes and neighborhoods.
Watch the news report below to see the damage that the cannon ball did!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj-CErr0VOY&feature=g-logo
