My first chemistry teacher was the best. He was new to McQueen, and did cool experiments like making gummi bears explode (I forget the chemical reason behind it- so maybe he wasn't the best teacher. or maybe I just sucked as a student). Anyways, one of the other cool things he showed us was thermite. We set some off in the school parking lot (something I guess he got in trouble for). It was sweet- and along with it he explained how the military used thermite grenades to burn through the engine blocks of any vehicle they had to leave behind. I always thought it'd be cool to see this happen- and now I can. Science rules.
[ Thermite burning a hole in a car - Google Video ]