Behind the MythBusters' Cannonball Incident

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Former MythBusters showrunner Dan Tapster answers Tested member @leemarsh3569's question about the craziest moment of the series, which was the 2012 cannonball incident, hands down. Here's what it was like for Adam Savage and Dan behind the scenes, and what went through their heads as they grappled with the public's response in the aftermath.
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[@LiveDonkeyDeadLion]

The three rules of crisis communication are; be Quick, be consistent and be open.

[@custos3249]

Missed the 4th rule: don't fucking bother because no one will listen

[@B-M.B]

Nothing any PR people or politician would do nowadays, their new rules are: Deny, deflect and disperse...

[@richelleg225]

I'd say be quick, be clear, and be complete. Nothing hinders a crisis like slow responses, people in shock not being given specific instructions to snap them out of it, or people fumbling around trying to figure out general directions.

[@baltoflyer7503]

I was just watching a documentary on why Three Mile Island is remembered the way it is, and this is most of it. There were several other mistakes, but they also didn't communicate with the public or each other effectively. And since they weren't communicating with each other, they didn't have information, or gave wrong information when communicating with the public.

[@chaoslink1158]

One thing to note regarding Adam's thoughts at (and I love the word choice) the Phalanx of microphones and how the mount was made and all that, is no matter how stressful or scary something might be, you can surprise yourself at where your brain can pick up on things to help calm you down. Being a maker, Adam's first thought is to look at something in front of him that someone had to make and immediately dissect every detail of it to draw attention off the main stress approaching to find a center of calm to approach it from. Its pretty amazing to see the brain at work in that way.

[@moseszero3281]

I want the answer to the questions he raised.

[@twerkingbollocks6661]

Well he has ADHD so his brain is wired to do things like that.

[@zkitzophritzo]

I think it also speaks to how genuine & innocent he was/is. He was unafraid of being caught lying, wasn't worrying about people thinking he had malicious intent. Just going up to the mic prepared to face the world and ready to tackle problems.

[@BrowncoatInABox]

​@@twerkingbollocks6661as someone with sever ADHD, my brain does the exact same thing. During stressful situations I can trick my brain to calm down with a clip from doctor who or ds9

[@rhysun]

Many sound guys are also makers. The microphone rack was probably a one-off, made by one of the technicians present at the press conference. You should have made your admiration of their workmanship known, it would have absolutely made their day.

[@canuckcam]

We call those a "mic rake" and they mount onto the spigot of a lightweight light stand. The early versions had a single row of mics (thus the "rake") while newer ones I've seen have multiple rows.

[@phillyphakename1255]

​@@canuckcamoh, is that why the authoritarian leaders always have a row of like 6 or 8 microphones? To make it appear in line with the ye olde microphone stands with many microphones of a vibrant press corps?

[@GreenCrim]

Just watched a slomo guys video where a bowling ball fired from a cannon (only a rough analog I know) basically liquefied 6 ballistic busts heads and kept going. I remember when this happened and was impressed with how it was handled. It wasn't just "laughed off" due to no injuries because you knew how lucky you were and how bad it could have been.

[@CaseyGoff]

Their counterparts in that video (How Ridiculous) shot a few also. Not quite as "scientific", but entertaining.

[@a-rod48]

Man, Slow Mo Guys and Tested crossover when? I would absolutely love to see Adam and Gavin geek out about how fast these Phantom cameras can get.

[@ballisticcranberrypeat7777]

Slow Mo Guys is a legitimate spiritual successor to MythBusters I think. Just some personable, smart guys; doing good science and bringing it to the masses.

[@e.scottdaugherty8291]

knowing juuuuust how close you came to an "Oh Shit!!" situation.

[@Yvolve]

@@ballisticcranberrypeat7777 If my memory serves me right, Gavin mentioned in one of the videos that Mythbusters was a huge inspiration for them.

[@WlatPziupp]

I guess that's a good reminder for the one with the microphone to repeat what the person without the microphone says. So weird how what is obviously one way in a room becomes something completely different in a recording of the room, depending on the specifics of the recording

[@MeppyMan]

Yes which is why you have to be careful taking even video and audio evidence completely at face value. There are certain things where it shows more than enough for it to paint the truth, but not always.

[@chrisdonovan8795]

I love that Adam's biggest sigh of relief is that no one else got hurt. If we all had that kind of priority, the world would be a better place.

[@johnofthenorth6653]

I still remember seeing the news report after it happened and that was a huge relief to me as well. I read very quickly until I saw that there were no major injuries and then went back and read carefully.

[@joeambly6807]

99.99% of people have this priority too. Stop pretending we are worse than we really are

[@WaltRBuck]

​@@joeambly6807Thank you. This is truth.

[@thomasdalton1508]

​@@joeambly6807Absolutely. There are evil people in the world, but very few of them.

[@lemagicbaguette1917]

⁠@@thomasdalton1508 sadly, this is difficult to internalise because they are so loud. However, their extensive coverage only proves they are the exception rather than the status quo.

[@zoddmark5873]

I've always had so much respect for you guys in being open and transparent about the cannon ball incident. Who knows how many injuries were prevented after putting those new safetly practices in place.

[@Leafsdude_]

In reality, probably none. But it's the fact that it's not a "definitely none" that they did it for.

[@PrograError]

​@@Leafsdude_I mean how many times would a cannonball be fired on a hill side and end up in a civilian home... Maybe more in the 1900s...

[@djjazzyjeff1232]

3:14 "Seeing a myth develop from inside" that had to be WILDLY trippy, given the nature of MythBusters everyday, ya know, Myth Busting. Lol

[@tomduke1297]

i can just imagine first the sinking feeling and then the panic setting in. that must have been horrible, not knowing if it hit someone.

[@tin2001]

Yep. I remember having that sort of feeling when I was mowing the lawn and a blade came off... First the shock of the unexpected bang, then the panic at the mower suddenly feeling like it was going to vibrate apart.... But then seeing the blade shape hole in the sheet metal fence, and realising the blade has flown up towards the highway that runs alongside the yard... It's a horrible feeling. You start thinking of how you could have just killed someone, then relief when you find out no one's hurt, but then back to that "what if it happens again" feeling, which stays with you every time you do something even remotely similar.

[@brianbaker2455]

My favorite thing about this conversation is that they are so comfortable with each other. It's not a standard interview, it's an overhead conversation between two friends. It's obvious they are friends and shared a wonderful experience. Adam is a human being who gives me not only knowledge but joy.

[@jacobs7764]

The stories about the reporters' inaccuracies reminds me of a Battlebots book read once that had a section about Jamie Hyneman, "AKA Adam Savage" As an avid Mythbusters fan and a very particular 10 year old, I was very miffed

[@lasagnahog7695]

Mythbusters is up there with Mr. Rogers for influence on my childhood and it's such a relief that their isn't serious moral issues surrounding it like so much from that era. There were mistakes made but more importantly lessons were learned.

[@seanseoltoir]

Mr. Rogers influenced your childhood? That's kind of scary...

[@ronpeacock9939]

I always felt that the Cannonball incident taught you guys more than all of the rest of the episodes combined.. The biggest being.. one small (really small) oversight can become a REALLY BIG NIGHTMARE!... You were always much more careful after that for very good reason.

[@gwts1171]

I just rewatched that cannonball episode a few days ago. Scary stuff, but I think that everyone handled it well.

[@DUKE_of_RAMBLE]

Was it the one testing the wood cannon?

[@blaircox1589]

I just watched on Amazon Prime Canada and had a case of the Mandela Effect, as the episode didn't show what happened. But I recall the images of the house and vehicle and a lot more details. It must have aired later somewhere else.

[@Keldor314]

​​​@@blaircox1589The whole incident made the news, and they did show some images there (and indeed, if you google "mythbusters cannonball incident", you'll find them). I remember because I actually heard about the entire thing on a news report well before I actually saw the episode, and so, when I did see it, I had a moment of "oh yeah, I heard about that one!" I expect you saw the images on the news, and later forgot that detail and just assumed you must have seen them on the show.

[@Matoro2002]

iirc they talked about it in the reunion episode, which was the final Adam and Jamie season

[@steveskeletonneii6336]

@@blaircox1589 There seems to be two cuts of the show. One has less content to fit commercials in, but the other doesn't. Could be it?

[@Scoots1994]

Honestly, I lived there and it seemed like a MUCH bigger deal on TV than it did in real life. The reality is that we knew the facility was there, we knew the Mythbusters used it a few times a year but it's not like they were the only ones using it. I think at the time there was also a military base operating there too (it may have closed by then, I'm not certain). I'm sure it was a MUCH bigger deal for the show and the family directly effected than it was for their neighbors, but it really went away fast and quiet because it was clear that it was a 1 time thing. Life is dangerous, and really nobody wants it totally sanitized.

[@johnhewitt365]

Curious, did you ever find out the truth about those aluminum microphone holders?

[@maweitao]

B&H Photo has one for $150 that holds 17 mics. It has nice chamfered edges but is made from delrin, not aluminum. Must be a tiny market because it's the only one I've been able to find new.

[@MeppyMan]

I wonder if they are sold to production companies for use on set more than real world ?

[@I_Love_Learning]

I'm really curious about who puts them out...

[@tin2001]

​@@I_Love_Learning Some would be owned by the venue, but I'd say most news outside broadcasting vans carry at least 1. I assume they're out up by whoever is standing there counting the news outlets on scene and noticing that there's more than that are mic stands.

[@I_Love_Learning]

@@tin2001 Thanks for the reply! I could have guessed that, but I don't ever really trust myself with that sort of stuff, good to know someone else thought similar.

[@Merennulli]

I'm so glad you all handled that incident so well. I know you worked hard to get all the assurances that everything would be safe for the public and for your crew with all your experiments, but even when all that effort failed and something still happened, you maintained that responsible attitude. You didn't hide behind a lawyer and shift blame onto the party whose assurances of safety fell through. You didn't appeal to the insanely unpredictable fluke that the incident seems to have been. You just apologized and assured people you would never allow any further tests of that nature at that facility. I do think that your reputation also weighed in on how accepting the press was of your answers. While sincerity is important, I will say from personal experience - it's not enough. They have to know you well enough to not project fantasy scenarios onto you before you speak. If this happened in season 1 filming, you'd have been portrayed as careless madmen with every attempt to superglue stereotypes onto the story. But your character had already been established over the years so there was no room for those kinds of journalistic fantasies.

[@Yvolve]

In the episode, you can see the barrel of the cannon ever so slightly angled up on the shot that went into the house. I only noticed when watching it back after hearing the news. It is very slight but noticeable, and enough to have it skip over the berm. That is probably how it flew that far and cleared a highway. It was deflected and flew high instead of bouncing its way to the house. Still amazing that nobody was hurt and very happy Mythbusters wasn't cancelled over it, by Discovery.

[@terrafirma5327]

As Adam would say, you are an eagle-eyed fan.

[@n0bl3hunt3r]

Barrel lift is a known hazard for artillery. One of the more obvious lessons learned from the event is that having gun experts and bomb experts is not the same thing as having an artillery expert.

[@Yvolve]

@@terrafirma5327 Thank you, I try.

[@Yvolve]

@@n0bl3hunt3r Very well put. You really need an expert for the specific niche you're testing in.

[@exeggcutertimur6091]

I feel if someone had died it would have been cancelled no questions asked.

[@kholdanstaalstorm6881]

The Mythbusters show, hosts and crew moved the goalposts for every aspect of the series, but the cannonball incident in particular set the standard of incident management and public relations when a company had an unforeseen mishap, while that shows in the episodes after that particular wake-up call. Mad respect for how well it was dealt with.

[@MikkoKuusirati]

I'm assuming you meant they "raised the bar"? Because "moving the goalposts" means something _entirely_ different! :)

[@sks220]

Always good to hear that reporters lie and media execs don't want you to apologize when you do something wrong. Mad respect for them not listening to those execs and doing the right thing.

[@ragaloft]

Mythbusters raison d’être was literally to (safely) “fuck around and find out”. This incident was the extreme outlier, and as such, respectfully and professionally treated by the scientists involved. 👍🤓

[@wouldiwasshookspeared4087]

The best kind of science.

[@soul0360]

I saw the press conference just recently here on YT for the first time. I was seriously impressed, how they handled it. A truly wholesome display, of great crisis management. They seemed shook up, about what had happened, and they looked and sounded extremely sincere in their apology. Like what was said here. They disarmed the reporters, by being forthcoming and truthful. And I might add thorough, in explaining what was known, and what was not, at the time. As I see it, a great lesson in how to handle the press. Of course, this strategy only works if you aren't a dirtbag, and have nothing to hide. As someone not from the US, who didn't follow the story at the time. I am curious though, what ramifications this had, both legally and for insurance purposes.

[@fastfiddler1625]

With all of the absolutely insane things done on the show, the fact that a loose cannonball that didn't hurt anyone was (one of?) the worst event is telling of how well they prepped and handled safety with frequently difficult to control situations.

[@tyleryoung9123]

Unintended things happened, but how you all handled it afterwards was absolutely the right thing to do and the right way to do it. Major kudos to everyone making the hard, but right decisions.

[@briantonkin7737]

I actually delivered pizza to that house. Lol

[@GKMess42]

I lived in the SF Bay Area at that time (near Richmond) and I remember this was fairly big local news for about a week. You guys handled this in the most admirable way possible. So glad I lived in that area while Mythbusters was in production. It leaves me a lot of good memories.

[@MrBenkidd]

Only found this channel about a month ago and it’s quickly becoming one of my favourites. Nice job Adam

[@tenzhitihsien888]

Perception and memory are weird. I've seen most episodes of Mythbusters - many of them multiple times as a natural consequence of reruns. If you'd asked me to say who was taller from memory I would have confidently said it was Jamie.

[@tested]

He IS bigger than life …

[@TNH91]

Jamie is short and stout. And probably quite dangerous.

[@bartolomeothesatyr]

I think that's down to posture. Jamie always stood conspicuously erect on camera, whereas Adam was more relaxed.

[@HarryBuddhaPalm]

Jamie's mustache draws the eyes down and creates the illusion of height.

[@bennyfactor]

My wife used to work in local news, and whenever I went into the station, I always had a bunch of thoughts on a similar thread as Adam's about the mic stand, although as a computer janitor rather than a machinist and maker, mine were always about how all the video sources and decks and hard drive storage and switches and stuff were all put together in the various editing bays and control rooms and such.

[@seanseoltoir]

What the 'ell is a "computer janitor"? Do you spend your days with a mini-vac, removing the covers off of PCs and vacuuming out the dust from the fans and such? Maybe shaking out the dead skin cells from the keyboards?

[@aikumaDK]

Tell the truth and the energy dissapates.. If only politicians were capable of telling the truth, and politics would be as boring as it should be

[@asdasd-ni8eg]

They might also start sticking to their job and cut back on their over reach.

[@leokimvideo]

Never underestimate the rogue nature of a over powered cannon ball. Explosives always have an exponential factor to them up to a point.

[@elhnston6589]

Leaf thin american walls might have something else to do with it.

[@1320crusier]

Unless your wall is 10-12" thick reinforced concrete its probably going through

[@russo3j]

Also, never underestimate the power of a Dyson.

[@smalltime0]

@@1320crusier it wasn't a direct hit on the wall IIRC, it escaped the range because it ricocheted off something.

[@Aztesticals]

Hey guess what European walld are. 6-18 inches of brick​@1320crusier

[@JaredJanhsen]

I remember reading about the incident before the episode aired. But the way it was handled was a class act. The on-screen crew and the production team behind the scenes handled this with the utmost care and contrition.

[@garry5280]

I literally watched the cannonball show a couple of days ago. I'd forgotten the incident had even occurred until seeing it again.

[@cleverusername9369]

Adam's thought process about the phalanx of microphones is so indicative of how he thinks 😆

[@adamlaski9128]

I love hearing about the background stuff. I grew up on Mythbusters, I’m rewatching it now with my kids. Mythbusters was something special and evergreen. Possibly the greatest show of all time.

[@PT405]

As a former news photog. At least working in local news it was a little bit of both, typically you just have a stand for your mic, but a lot of people in the business have spent money themselves to but the fancy stands that hold more just to make it easier for all involved.

[@Nightweaver1]

Of course Adam's first thought when he saw the microphone stand was a nerdy fabrication thought. That's great -- you can really never take the nerd out of a Mythbuster, especially Adam. I remember the first time I heard about the cannonball incident: I was working my first newspaper job back in 2007 and I saw it come over the AP news wire with a few photos of Jamie and Adam walking around the neighborhood and the cannonball itself resting in that family's house. It was so unbelievable that such a thing could happen to those guys, who were known for being careful and pro and taking numerous safety precautions. But you really can never predict all variables, especially with explosives, and I'm glad nobody got hurt from it and they learned to do all their further explosives testing in the abandoned quarry.

[@EwgenijBelzmann]

It is very refreshing to see a truly empathetic public person. All respect to everyone on the crew.

[@eh42]

6:00 This is so me. I see the technical inconsequential minutiae all the time!

[@RedfishCarolina]

Yeah same here. I'm the plant manager where we build all sorts of things so I'm always deconstructing stuff mentally

[@RichardHopkinsLobosSolos]

Until that happened I had no idea that the bomb range was in a populated area. Of course it probably wasn't when it was first built.

[@callum7227]

I love that Mythbusters has a connection to Manchester, I live in Manchester and Mythbusters is my all time favourite show

[@daviddemarta1188]

I was in high school near the cannonball incident. We were just so excited the mythbusters were in town

[@MorrisonManor]

I can SOOO identify with Adam's thoughts about the mic stand.

[@Peksisarvinen]

At this point, I imagine the whole incident is just a funny story for everyone included, even the family, but I can't imagine what it must've been like when the whole event unfolded. Especially the time between realizing the cannonball had bounced to the point of hearing that nobody was injured.

[@godalmighty83]

Reporting on day 1: A baseball sized canon ball. Reporting on day 5: A full broadside from HMS Victory.

[@joshuawatson1902]

Very wise lesson in dealing with the press during a crisis. When you tell the truth, the circus kinda gives up and goes home.

[@jem667]

Wait Ive heard about the cannonball incident but never heard it was in Dublin/Pleasanton CA, I lived there right across the st from the military base with the firing range, pretty boring cities but Dublin is now the fastest growing city in CA

[@kylemiskovic9447]

"Jamie is several inches shorter than me" -- actually true; he's only taller because of the beret.

[@valiroime]

Adam’s hair is taller

[@bartolomeothesatyr]

I think it's down to posture. Every time I've seen Jamie Hyneman on camera, he was always standing rigorously erect with his chest out and his chin up. Posture like that gives the impression of looking down even when you're looking up.

[@IRValk]

this is a myth they will never put to the test. 'How far can a stray cannonball reach?'

[@terrafirma5327]

How many bodies and cars will a stray cannonball pass through? - though based on the recent bowling ball video with slow-mo guys... as many as it wants.

[@mattgayda2840]

Can't test that without Hollywood immunity, anyone else would be in prison for this and quite a few other state and federal laws they violated regarding firearms and explosives (especially in California). You can't legally build a cannon without a years worth of paperwork, fingerprints, and a special license to build a destructive device. They did it multiple times, it was pure and blatant federal crimes on camera

[@Mr4twitch]

Huh?

[@mattgayda2840]

@@Mr4twitch remember the "pop gun" Jamie built that shot soda cans, that was 100% illegal under California law. The bore was at or over 50 caliber, that makes it completely illegal to build or own in CA without super impossible to get federal and state permits and licenses. They got a pass but average Joe would be facing years in prison

[@mattgayda2840]

@@Mr4twitch a Garfield WA man was sent to prison for building the same things Jamie did. Look up Kent Kimberling, the story shows he made the same thing Jamie did and got sent to federal prison for it

[@High_Alpha]

It's great hearing all these old stories. My favourite of all time was the explosives in the cement mixer episode. I have never seen before (nor likely will again) an entire cement mixing truck simply cease to exist. I expected it to blow out the mixer into two, maybe even blow it apart entirely, but I did not expect that it was simply going to be a case of one frame truck, next frame flash, next frame no truck... no flying parts, no nothing. Just vapourised... mind blown.

[@donevans1884]

Brilliant video both .

[@chuckoneill2023]

I can understand people thinking Jamie is taller than Adam. Jamie has that kind of presence.....

[@bartolomeothesatyr]

I think it's down to posture. Every time I've seen Jamie on camera, he was always standing rigorously erect, with his chest out and his chin up. Posture like that gives the impression of looking down, even when you're looking up.

[@SPierre-dm4wo]

@@bartolomeothesatyr Yup. And not only is there a difference in posture, I also feel like Adam spent a lot more screen time doubled over in pain or skidding across/flailing on the ground.

[@Studio23Media]

I think it says a great deal about this man that Mythbusters was as successful as it was while filming in San Francisco, doing post-production in Sydney, and the showrunner is in Manchester. 🤯🤯🤯 That's dedication and work ethic!

[@barryross8382]

Love the microphone stand story, I feel the same when i look at an Italian motor cycle

[@AureliusR]

I can't even imagine what the fallout would have been if someone was hurt or killed... probably some sort of criminal investigation, civil lawsuits, it could have been the end of the show. They were so incredibly lucky.

[@dustinboyce25]

I love that Adam got so focused on the rig that held the phalanx of microphones. That is so my brain to a tee, analyzing a million little things that have nothing to do with what is really going on

[@Boodoo4You]

I loved Mythbusters growing up. And coincidentally my mum actually used to clean the Beyond studios at Artarmon here in Sydney. I went in there with her a couple times. It’s a cool memory of mine seeing all the Mythbusters stuff in the office

[@calvingreene90]

Jamie's stance projects a looming presence that Adam's doesn't.

[@SPierre-dm4wo]

Jamie's always given me the impression of being able to loom so effectively that whether he's looming up or down at you goes unnoticed.

[@vincent9068]

Adam *obsessing* over the fine details of the phalanx of microphones while staring down the barrel of a terrifying press conference is quite possibly one of the most "mood" things ever. The cannonball incident was wild back then, props to how you all handled it like champs. No BS, take it on the chin, make the changes needed.

[@Bayan1905]

With all of the experiments, things that were done on the show, explosions and just the very nature of the things that the cast, crew, build team and everyone else surrounding the show was working with, the fact that there were so few accidents that did happen and the ones that did were freak accidents to say the least, it says a great deal about the level of safety and planning that went into everything being done and how well it was all done over the show's span.

[@Trainfan1055Janathan]

I loved the gold paint episode. It was so funny hearing Jamie talking nonchalantly about how he feels like he might loose consciousness while everyone rushed to get the paint off. "I feel lightheaded and like I might lose consciousness and..." "Come on, we gotta get him out!"

[@Getawaymoments]

TV news cameraman here, 35 years in the business. To answer Adams question, it was likely homemade. A one off. Now for the back story. In the 80's most TV photographers like radio reporters carried a mic clamp often a Rowi clamp to mount their microphone at press conferences. We often clamp these to a light stand or podium. As outdoor press conferences got bigger with more news organizations (in the 90s we went from three stations in a market to five or six) there became a need for a way to mount many mics. Enter the decade of homemade mounts, ive seen wood ones, aluminum rail, plastic. Often live trucks would carry the stand or a station would have one and you would take it if you needed it. In the late 2000s I noticed police departments started buying a commercial mic holder of varying degrees of quality. At the same time police departments started having their own media departments to control the press conferences and essentially the message. So they would provide the mic holding stand. Next time you see a big media scrum look for mic stand. Funny subject! Footnote: Most PR or big organizations have a mult box now that eliminates the need for the mic holder, you plug in .... one mic for all. TESTED moderator: please tell Adam he should have a vintage Rowi clamp for his Nagra recorder. It's essential!

[@tested]

We’ll pass your comment on! Thanks for taking the time!

[@Getawaymoments]

Thank you! Love the channel.

[@ThunderChasers]

I remember watching Mythbusters first episodes. So glad KZbin is a thing to sort of keep the show alive in a way.

[@cheddulous]

Saying the corporate press "creates myths" is a generous interpretation of their constant lying.

[@DaleWesley]

I was living in Dublin, CA when this happened and I remember some of the older residents being furious about it right up until the press conference, and then it was like nobody cared at all.

[@gregvondare]

The things we remember: Adam holding on to the reporter claiming that Jamie was a few inches taller than him!

[@jguth6]

6:18 thinking all those things is EXACTLY how my brain works

[@bryanphillips6088]

I went to the Circle S Ranch shooting range in California with my family back in 2013 so they could get a chance to fire a Matchlock I built. It's a 27 pound monster almost 7 feet long which fires a 1" lead ball over 200 grains of black powder and we hadn't been there for more than a few minutes before the range master comes over and says "You can't shoot that here, the Mythbusters wanted to shoot a cannon here and we told them no." I did eventually convince him it was safe to shoot, that the breech was properly made and that it had been fired before and he let us stay to fire it. In hindsight that nobody was hurt in the cannonball incident, it's really funny to me that the Mythbusters single-handedly tarnished the reputation of large caliber black powder guns and all the range masters in the area are like "Whoa, is that a cannon? You can't shoot that here no way." One of these days I need to make a return trip when I'm out there for a visit and see if they still remember.

[@PLAYERSLAYER_22]

they definitely remember. lol that was the biggest news story that ever came out of mythbusters. i remember exactly where i was when the tv newscaster started with a massive headline about mythbusters hahaha

[@RJBond121]

Jaime has the aura of being several inches taller than Adam, that's all.

[@Simon-ui6db]

Was strange when I first heard mythbusters with the USA narrator. I watched it in the UK so was used to Robin Banks narrating the show, and personally I preferred him but I would say that being British. Love all this looking back on the show.

[@bryanwhite2685]

"Which is the opposite of the truth..." -- in fairness, "the Hyneman" is larger than life. HAHAHAHA!!!

[@nehemiahpouncey3607]

I remember seeing this on inside edition.

[@terminalbyte7416]

I remember that episode! It was so funny. But also scary for them. Glad nobody was hurt.

[@rocketforthree4479]

I have been wanting to ask about the Cannonball for years, ever since Adam started to take fans' questions. I was going to becoming a member and ask about what happened this year

[@Jimorian]

He has addressed it in some of the past live streams as well, at least once in detail, so you should be able to find it.

[@mitchaussiecook]

Never knew they edited the show here in Aus, learn something new everyday.

[@mikebevan1034]

Instant like after seeing that news story. The news story is hilarious

[@FUGP72]

I never thought the show handled that properly. The should have dedicated more air time to the incident as a "See...this is why we say don't try anything you see on the show at home. We had experts helping, and things still went very wrong" message.

[@michaelkarnerfors9545]

06:30 That is the "Asoh Defence", i.e. do not defend at all, and instead just say - as did Captain Asoh of Japan Air Lines Flight 2, after inadvertently landing and parking his DC-8 _in_ the San Fransisco Bay - "I f..ked up". Yeah, parking, because the aircraft was actually picked up out of the water and went back into service, Captain Asoh had accidentally ditched it _that_ gently.

[@bartolomeothesatyr]

That happened in 1968, and after half a year of refurbishment that aircraft remained in service until 2001. That's a pretty impressive lifespan considering its tail was full of saltwater.

[@kaysb80]

I noticed, and really appreciate, that there where no upsell at the end of this. It's a sign of integrity :) Awesome listening to the stories both of them have to share. Personally I think I would enjoy getting to know more of the "boring" aspect of such a production too. I suspect it might be more interesting than you think?

[@jfess1911]

I remember watching the early shows with cannons was surprised that they didn't build a vertical berm behind the targets. I wondered how they prevented the solid round cannonballs from ricochetting off the sloped earth berms. As it turned out, they didn't, at least not until after the "Incident".

[@CityTake]

Bro i just started looking into the cannonball again not even knowing yall talked about this 😂😂😂

[@SimpleGunner]

this reminded me of the matchhead cannon.

[@cmdraftbrn]

i remember reading about that incident and being like "how the hell did that happen?"

[@classifiedveteran9879]

2:28 The best way to prevent things like that is to give specific measurements _(Like 75 millimeters in diameter, for example)_ rather than an object of comparison. This is all in hindsight, of course.

[@robertkeddie]

Doesn't work. The average journalist will automatically convert it into fooball fields, Olympic swimming pools, blue whales, double-decker buses etc...

[@GamingVids1984]

Numbers get exaggerated all the time

[@asdasd-ni8eg]

So did he worked out how the mic rack was organized?

[@kylegoldston]

I imagine a science fair like competition where each sound guy proudly displays their stand outside of the Van waiting for several peers to argue, agree, and give the nod of approval. LOL.

[@tested]

Announcing the FINAL MythBusters Charity Auction! kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4urnqupqqp_btk Register to bid for the MythBusters auction, benefitting the Grant Imahara STEAM Foundation: propstoreauction.com/auctions/info/id/390 Cannonball Chemistry Aftershow: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYikc6ueZdiVaqs MythBusters' Worst Day Ever: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXK2dWCIrLZ5h9k More MythBusters related videos: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4urnqupqqp_btk

[@philcourteney4328]

@3:22 but but but but all the camera angle puts Jamie as being ThE TaLL oNe, and the fact that it’s not true has just shattered another allusion 😂

[@seanseoltoir]

Sounds like it was a "hold my beer" moment...

[@jbcowherder6210]

this is a shining example of: it was an unintended consequence, but luckily no-one got hurt, so don't lie or make excuses. just own it from the beginning and yes it'll be embarrassing, but more than likely you won't get raked over the coals. Thank you to the whole MB crew.

[@mausmalone]

I hate that all I want to know know is the answers to Adam's questions about the microphone stand!

[@njebei]

I learned a lot from Mythbusters, but I believe the way this was handled was the best lesson on the show. It was tough for fans to watch CNN and other news networks criticize you as it was clear most of them had never watched the show or seen the lengths you went to ensure your investigations were 99% safe. I remember the feeling of wanting to defend you from co-workers but you taught a lesson by never deflecting or making excuses. You admitted fault, then like usual -- you looked at the problem, broke it down, and attacked that last 1%. It was your finest moment.

[@kuges8146]

"Several Inches taller than me..." Reminds me of a friend I met in collage. First day at the dorms, I saw this guy go though the lobby with friends, beard with braids, and I swear he looked 6'6'' or so, massive guy,. I'm 6'1", and even after we became friends, and hung out (ended up in he collage DnD /RPG club) I always thought of him as that. It wasn't until 2 years later when a several of us were renting a house in town, and we happen do be doing dishes together, I realized he was shorter than me! Jon : "What? no, I'm 5'8" "

[@Jimorian]

It's too bad OTHER companies and individuals haven't learned the lessons from this incident about being up front and honest about what happened and how they're going to fix things going forward.

[@user-vq6hl5li5m]

Jaimie feels like he was taller. I don't know what that means either. Also: that's a complement for you, Adam.

[@Jon.S]

I really really really want to know the answer to Adam's questions about the mike stand setup for news conferences.

[@tylertheotaku9270]

Cement truck #1 is still my favourite mythbuster moment tho. Never knew the show was created (production-wise) across 3 countries in separate continents.... That's a really cool feature

[@akairborne]

Damn, I don't remember the cannonball. I'll be right back.

[@mmuww]

The Curry Car!!! omg that just sums it up

[@markburgess4528]

Used to love Mythbusters. One I would like to of seen is I was told that if you fired a gun straight ahead from the shoulder that the bullet would hit the ground at the same time the ejected cartridge did. My favourite episode was the cement truck explosion and Adams comment of 'Well there's your problem' whike kicking the pieces about made me spit my coffee out