As part of the electronics syllabus at the Towers we had to build a superhet radio. Mine worked, but not for long. It burst into flames on my bedside locker which cost me the price of the replacement locker.
That's what I did on my basic electronic course in the Army, though we weren't allowed to keep them. Done in a lab with high lab seats. Instructor used to run a "shock" table on the board. Injecting a signal at an anode with a blocking capacitor, then forgetting said capacitor had charged up. So besides getting a belt you normally fell off your stool as well. Made for quick learning for most, except the winner (not me) who was shocked 11 times. Nervous sort of guy.