Retro newsreel: tons of sodium explode in a lake

(CBS) - Boom!

Post-war mid-20th century America was a simpler time. A time before new fangled ideas like "environmental regulation" or "occupational safety." A time when you could dump a few tons of explosive material into a lake without all the red tape.

As the YouTube description helpfully explains: "The disposal of drums of sodium into Lake Lenore, an alkaline lake in the Grand Coulee area of eastern Washington State, in 1947 by the War Assets Administration. From a January 13, 1947 newsreel available at the Internet Archive."