G'morning Mike, 

 MR> I'm drawing a blank just now and confusing it with Millikan. I think
 MR> someone called Kaufman in the 1800's did a similar experiment though
 MR> without the modern means to test the results. Maybe that is where the
 MR> idea for Dr.Frankenstein came from or vice-versa?

Mmmm - there's a complicated history of the literary goings-on 
around the genesis of the story that I can never recall;  `twas 
the time of those lovely `medical' discharge bulbs, spark coils 
and like mumbo-jumbo (the prices for which junk on Antiques 
Roadshow USA soar out of this world)...

 MR> Thermite?

Ah - the wonder instant welding compound, when made with iron 
oxide and ignited successfully...

 MR> As for other uses: the space shuttle solid rocket boosters
 MR> (SRB's) use it. The Hindenburg apparently was painted with the stuff
 MR> used as pigment and subsequent tests on remaining samples of the skin
 MR> material proved it was the cause of the rapid ignition, not the
 MR> hydrogen!

Now that I didn't know; ain't folklore wunnerful ?

 MM> Xmas toys - "Batteries not provided"....
 MR> If it has an aluminum wrapper perhaps it already does...

 MR> "RUN AWAY" would be enough for me. Mind that some of the
cheap gadgets
 MR> coming out of China these days are sufficiently dangerous as is and
 MR> some untested even have fake safety organization labels.

Don't mention them ... I've just had to replace an exhaust fan 
with one from there, and I find myself carefully retesting and 
retesting it...

:-)
 
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