Well, if you want to see what children were encouraged to do in 1934, you could have a look at "The Boy Electrician".
Note particularly the last parts of chapter 13 (XIII ). It did include the warning that you should stop if your skin became red.
That's one of my all-time favorite books I found in my grade school's library. I was somewhere around 11 or 12 at the time. (And, no, it wasn't a new copy...)
Runner-up to the x-ray experiment was this fine electrolytic rectifier for AC mains brought out to binding posts. Not exactly UL listed.
I have a different (UK/240V) version, which doesn't quite have that. It does, however, tell you how to charge accumulators:
- "The simplest means of charging accumulators is by means of direct current mains supply. First of all ascertain the polarity of the mains. ... This may be done by inserting both leads in a glass of water in which a little salt has been dissolved. ... The lead around which most bubbles form is the negative"
Disappointingly it then goes on to describe a chemical rectifier, but advises you to buy a cheap one.
It also discusses mercury arc rectifiers, which I saw at the bottom of a stairwell powering my Student's Union movie projector. The glass envelope wan't well protected from falling debris, it glowed a rather pretty blue, and I imagine the UV helped reduce acne.
But the spirit of adventure hasn't been completely overwhelmed. The age at which you fly an aircraft on your own has been reduced from 16 to 14 - and the people that have taken advantage of that are mature beyond their years.