Steve Martin's Desk Souvenir Revealed as Live Civil War Bomb, Safely Detonated
Steve Martin, a Texas resident, discovered that a Civil War-era artillery shell, which had been sitting on his desk for years, was actually a live bomb. The 20-pound shell was found by his son while fishing along the Guadalupe River and was assumed to be a harmless replica. However, a conversation with a truck driver with military experience led Martin to suspect otherwise. He contacted the Atascosa County Sheriff's Office, which involved an Air Force explosive ordnance team. The team confirmed it was a live Parrott round, a type of artillery shell used by Union forces during the Civil War. The shell was safely detonated at Camp Bullis, over 50 miles away. Authorities warn that dormant munitions from past wars can still pose significant hazards.