9 things you didn't realise are awesome when they explode

We all agree that things exploding are brilliant, right? Just ask Michael Bay. He'll tell you. And he's right.

We're all aware of the standard things that explode and look cool doing so: rockets, tower blocks, planes and all the rest, but what about those things that you just wouldn't expect to look so awesome?

Well, thanks to super slow motion, we're now better placed than ever to watch people blowing stuff up that no one had thought of blowing up before, standing back, and admiring the often-strange results.

You want 10 examples? Just read on. Boom.

Molten Salt

Salt and water. Pretty innocuous combination right? Wrong. A host of theories abound on why this reaction is quite so vigorous but head here for a short analysis.

Football

Ever had a bad game and just wanted to boot the ball in sheer frustration? This is what will happen if you seriously connect, and it's very cool.

Watermelon

Oh sure, you could create an experiment to see what happens when a watermelon explodes, but where's the fun in that when you could just fire one with a slingshot straight into your own face?

Giant Balloons

Everyone is - of course - familiar with balloons bursting, but have you ever stopped to consider exactly how they fail? This fascinating video shows giant balloons failing in two distinct, rather beautiful, patterns.

Giant yellow rubber ducks

Who wouldn't want to go and see an 18-metre high yellow rubber duck? Plenty of the citizens of Keelung in northern Taiwan were keen on welcoming in the new year in 2014 by visiting the touring exhibit, created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, yet it exploded before it could make it to midnight. The cold weather was blamed, but other reports suggested the sharp claws of some local eagles may have been to blame. They were clearly just jealous.

Hoverboards

Ah the 'hoverboard' - the great Christmas toy of 2015. Sadly, one thing it didn't do was actually hover, and one thing it did do was explode, usually due to cheap Lithium Ion batteries. This lucky chap caught it on camera for our general amusement.

Nitrogen Triiodide

We'd never heard of this substance before, but the video blurb states, "Nitrogen triiodide is a highly unstable substance that detonates when disturbed. So we disturbed it." With rather brilliant results, we may add.

Cucumber

Nature herself enjoys a good explosion and a tremendous one can be found in the form of Cyclanthera explodens, a herbaceous vine which explodes when ripe in order to disperse their seeds. Stop laughing at the back.

Golf Ball

Ever wondered what's inside a golf ball? Wonder no more.

Atomic Bomb

OK, we've seen it before, but come on, what's not awesome about an atomic bomb explosion? Oh yeah: the death; the radiation poisoning; the colossal material damage. But, wow, that thing really blows up doesn't it?