One of my earliest memories is sticking a bobby pin in an electrical socket. No pretty colors. I got a nasty U-shaped burn plus it blew the fuse so my parents knew immediately. I was crying copious tears so my mom turned it into an object lesson about why one should not play with electric outlets.
I have to wonder about their fuse box. Or circuit breakers. Creating a short circuit like that should have blown a fuse. Were they in the habit of sticking pennies under the fuses to keep them from blowing? I recall one of my elementary school teachers going on about how dangerous that is.