Video of Newspaper Volunteer’s Cannon Experiment
One of the benefits of volunteering for the Historic Newspapers Online Project at the Washington State Library is the opportunity to read fascinating articles written in the 1800’s.
Recently, Deb Ross, a dedicated volunteer of several years, discovered an article titled, A Cannon For Every Boy, from the 4/30/1891 issue of the Yakima Herald, which included detailed instructions on building a homemade cannon using common household ingredients. Curious and intrepid, she decided to try the directions at home.
She captured the results in a YouTube video, provided here for your enjoyment.
(The term “cannon” in this instance represents a small, toylike object, not intended as a weapon.)
View the Historic Washington Newspapers Online Project website
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December 31st, 2008 at 5:37 am
Interesting, I’ll have to give it a try!
January 21st, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Neato! Incidentally, you can buy tartaric acid at beer-brewing supply shops. Probably not necessary though–cream of tartar seems to work just fine.