Ypres, RIP.
Amazing that a shell fired in anger almost a century ago is still a threat.

http://news.yahoo.com/wwi-shell-kills-two-belgium-180325463.html

You would think that the gun powder would be watered down and destroyed. Not the first time I have heard about this though. Pretty crazy. Shows how good old quality stuff was lol

If you do a web search on gun powder, you will find that as gun powder ages, it gets more sensitive due to the nitrate reduction-oxidation process. Over time, this reaction can generate heat, resulting in spontaneous explosions. There are several stories on the web about Civil War shells exploding while being dug up.

Here is a guy that got killed working on a civil war 75 lb naval cannon ball a few years back ... I remember when it happened because I am into metal detecting and this story made the rounds in the MD forums. He was actually drilling into this, so obviously not like a little bump set it off, but rather sparks or friction heat - Couldn't pay me enough to mess with hardware like that, and here in Michigan, odds of finding a buried shell are pretty low.

I guess its worth remembering that an unexploded shell is still very much a lethal hazard ,,, We tend to think of "duds" as just that, a mechanical device that failed and will not work again, like a broken hammer. But it only failed because the fuse/detonator didn't properly cause it to explode, so the potential to explode always remains given the proper conditions.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/05/02/virginia-man-killed-in-civil-war-cannonball-blast/

Never knew that. Thanks Vern!