Sue’s merit badge

Throughout the series, Greg has had a running joke that Sue was born in the wrong era, and is actually a modern-day embodiment of a 1950s Sargeant Major.

Sue’s prize submission inadvertently echoes this joke, as she brings in the Boy Scouts of America’s Atomic Energy merit badge (available between 1963 and 2004, but since retired and replaced with the Nuclear Science badge).

Sue explains that, in order to earn the badge, scouts had to build an electroscope, build a Geiger counter, and actually go somewhere with detectible radiation, and record a measurement [note: there were also several other things that had to be done].

Greg awards Sue first place.

(Written by Jenny R and edited by Karl Craven)

(Illustrations collected by Jenny R and adjusted by David Fuller)