Mythbusters Fire Cannonball into Suburban Home

[CleverCover]

If that was my house, I'd be completely okay with it just because it was Mythbusters and they are one of my gods of SCIENCE.

Autographs, a shrine, an epic story about a magical cannonball, a chance to behold the awesome that is Adam and Jamie, and a chance to redecorate my house.

Hell yeah.

 

[CleverCover]

Just watched the video.

DAMN. That cannonball was pure magic to have gone so far.
Or the cannon had enough power to propel a rocket into space.

Did that confirm or bust the myth?

 

[Ziadaine_v1legacy]

Wait... So the cannon misfired, the cannon ball smashed through a door, rolled UP some stairs, got airborne again, smashed through a wall and the roof, then wrecked a car?

Goddamn.

All while proving the myth that people can sleep through explosions!



...That was the Myth right?

 

[TheBaron87]

Well, I hope they learn from this. I haven't watched the Mythbusters in a long time, ever since they ran out of interesting myths to test and have resorted to literally pulling increasingly silly rumours straight from the internet and renaming them "myths". But I still like the show, and I wish they would continue.

They'll take some time off to figure out how to improve safety, and its good that they will, since this accident could have very easily killed or maimed someone. Even if no one died, it was a serious accident and they need to learn their lesson seriously. From the perspective of a safety officer, a bad accident is a bad accident, regardless if anyone got hurt.

I think they need a new bomb-testing site. The show is a big earner so they should be able to re-located to a suitably deserted site for testing explosive materials. Their insurance bills are going to increase and they'll probably have to restrain themselves from doing some of their more crazy stunts, but the show itself should be fine.

But seriously - they could have killed someone. It's not a laughing matter, or something to "brush" aside.

No, definitely agreed. As much as it would suck not to have MB come to my town it's not like we ever get to see them anyway, the place is owned by the sheriff's office. One day that cannon might be pointed west and people might be reading a not-so-lucky news story about me They should have stopped using it as soon as the construction started out there honestly.

What I don't understand though, is why they were shooting to the east. Google "Alameda County Sheriff's Office. The bomb range is straight north from the marker, straight west from the reservoir, that pentagon shaped area. Zoom out and look at how much open land they have to the north and northwest they could be aiming toward. Instead they aimed east and hit the houses off Tassajara. I'd like to know their reasoning for firing the cannon in that direction.

 

[Dr. Pepper Unlimited]

I can somehow see the family owning that house immediately forgiving them as soon as they saw it was the Mythbusters.

My thoughts exactly. If they did that to my house, I'd be pretty annoyed at first, but once I realized they were the ones behind it, I'd be a lot more chipper about the whole ordeal since I know they would pay for any and all repairs needed. Plus, I mean, it's the freaking Mythbusters...love that show. xD

 

[Strazdas]

The cannonball failed to wake the three people sleeping in the house, but the resulting plaster dust did shortly afterwards.

Honey a cannon ball jsut went though our bedroom
Ah,, lets ignore it and continue sleeping.

But yeah, when i sleep end of the world wouldnt wake me up either. i got 3 alarm clocks.

This is why you go back to runway for your cannon tests. but in such a long time to have their first accident, it relaly is a great record for these guys. after all, this is theo nly television show quoted in scientific work.

 

[ElPatron]

The Mythbusters have always been careful to balance dangerous experiments with sensible safety precautions

Not hating on the show (the only wrong thing about them is the lack of "method" and their tests are oftenly not very logical) but they are not even close as sensible to danger.

They are careful. But like 12 year olds are.

Pregnant girl is going to shoot a gun? Make her wear body armor. 12 year old logic right there.

The impact has as much killing potential to a baby as a 230 grain projectile shot from point blank.

It's worth remembering that the old smoothbore muzzle-loaders had effective ranges of a mile or more; and even that limit had more to do with accuracy than anything else.

Really? I have never seen anyone bothering with a smoothbore's accuracy after 200 yards.


And the longest kill with a 7.62x51 NATO was about 1500 yards, and it was a pretty good achievment.

Now, don't you tell me a smoothbore has the same practical range as a rifled marksman rifle and top-notch optics with a highly trained shooter behind it.

 

[Evil Alpaca]

Considering the popularity of the show and how the Mythbusters have stated that they will pay for repairs, I am curious;

If this Mythbuster's put a hole in a house, does the property value go up or down?

 

[Natural Philosopher]

......Well theres your problem.

I am glad yet kind of shocked this doesn't happen more. The mishaps not property damage.

 

[YodaUnleashed]

Watching that shark video reminds me why I dislike the stupid seciton of the American public. "Whilst I was punching the sharks I noticed how pretty they were".

 

[Petromir]

Really? I have never seen anyone bothering with a smoothbore's accuracy after 200 yards.


And the longest kill with a 7.62x51 NATO was about 1500 yards, and it was a pretty good achievment.

Now, don't you tell me a smoothbore has the same practical range as a rifled marksman rifle and top-notch optics with a highly trained shooter behind it.

Economies of scale, Here we're talking about smoothbore cannon (so not some peashooter, wer're talking about nartillary balls measuresd in pounds here, not tiny little smallarms rounds (and a smoothbore muskets aimed range was more like 50 yards, hell in volly fire it was ineffective at above that), fireing at large targets. If you were giving up at 200 yards they'd be practically useless.

EDIT: OT: This was clearly Safty checked to hell and back. If it wasnt then insurance just wouldnt pay. Oh and the range warden likely would have dissallowed it.

If you are doing anything with even the slightest potential to go wrong and potentially kill, it doesnt matter how careful you are its always possible it will go wrong. I suspect the cahnce of this killing or casuing serious injury to the public was in the same region as the chances of one oth their public road based tests.

 

[ElPatron]

If you are doing anything with even the slightest potential to go wrong and potentially kill, it doesnt matter how careful you are its always possible it will go wrong. I suspect the cahnce of this killing or casuing serious injury to the public was in the same region as the chances of one oth their public road based tests.

Oh, m'kay.

Never shot muzzleloaders, btw, I once watched and asked about the accuracy at 200 yards and everyone gave me a strange room and said it was more common to hit things at 100yrds.

 

[TheRundownRabbit]

Wow, this is absolutely hilarious! I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner.
Myth: Cannons aren't dangerous

Yes, I was looking for an excuse to use this picture.

 

[FilipJPhry]

After seeing the damage.
Kid: Mythbusters?
Wife: Mythbusters.
Husband:

 

[Lunar Templar]

On one hand, the cost of covering all that damage probably is pretty high. On the other, Mythbusters are a pretty sucessful show so they probably have some spending money to cover this. What amazes me is that something like this hasn't happened sooner...

i agree, its rather impressive how this is the first time something like this (that i can recall) happening, with as long as they've been on and how much stuff they blow up o.0.

and there's no question they can pay this off, they stuff they build JUST TO BLOW UP is testimate to just how deep they're pockets are.

but the important thing is, no one was hurt

 

[Guffe]

Wait... So the cannon misfired, the cannon ball smashed through a door, rolled UP some stairs, got airborne again, smashed through a wall and the roof, then wrecked a car?

Goddamn.

and this is probably the most hilarious thing about this:
"...The cannonball failed to wake the three people sleeping in the house..."

I mean A CANNOBALL WRECKES YOUR HOUSE AND NEIGHBORS CAR AND YOU DON'T WAKE UP??!!!!

Who was living in that house, deaf-blind people?!
seriously, I sleep tightly but if a cannonball wrecked my house I'd wake up big time.

I've been actually wondering how much they fail on this show and of course they have some small flukes/mistakes from time to time but that this is they're first big mistake is kind of surprising.

 

[Endocrom]

To everyone suprised that the family didn't wake up, you do realize that the cannonball doesn't make an "explodey" sound as it moves through the air, right?

Probably ammounts to a bit louder than a door slamming or moving some big furniture.

 

[TheDooD]

......Well theres your problem.

I am glad yet kind of shocked this doesn't happen more. The mishaps not property damage.

It's kinda good that most of their property damage is more so rogue vehicles trashing pretty much useless fencing. Also they need to use the abandoned navel yard more when they're dealing with projectiles like the old days.

 

[Jack Rascal]

I would give my legs and left arm for a chance to work with those guys.

Well, I don't know if you would be much use to them in that condition. Sure, you have one good arm but wouldn't you just spin in circles

The cannonball failed to wake the three people sleeping in the house, but the resulting plaster dust did shortly afterwards.

Honey a cannon ball jsut went though our bedroom
Ah,, lets ignore it and continue sleeping.

But yeah, when i sleep end of the world wouldnt wake me up either. i got 3 alarm clocks.

This is why you go back to runway for your cannon tests. but in such a long time to have their first accident, it relaly is a great record for these guys. after all, this is theo nly television show quoted in scientific work.

My sleep is probably closer to coma than actual sleep (I have 4 alarm clocks, one of them with multiple alarms and still oversleep) but I found it fairly strange that these people did not wake up to the actual cannon ball wrecking havoc in their house, but the dust falling afterwards!!? Dear lord, there have been so many jokes about this in films but I hardly thought it could happen in real life