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2008 February Slush
(DA)Chalk one up for the dog.
(DA)Slip Sliding Away
(HM)Mexican Divorce
(?)Seatbelt subterfuge kills driver
(?)Mamba kills Man
(Hmmm)Surfing the wrong wave
(DA)A Breathtaking View
Dynamite Defroster
(?)Die Hard
(DA)Chemistry Went Over Her Head
(?)Darwin in heavy traffic
Man died after driving down boat ra
(?)Winched up
(HM)Shock Horror
(No)Swimming with the fish (bits)
(>)Living the High Life (On a Budget)
(DA)On the Piste
(DA)Stabbing suspect dies in car crash
Fatal Ski Slope Prank
Up, Up, and Away!
(DA)Hare today, gone tomorrow
Top of the train
Killer locomotive
A good thought gone bad
Monk killed by own runaway lawnmowe
no diving please
Brain Evacuation
Bridges are lower than they appear
Inspiration + Youth + Explosives =
Manhole kills man, Dove in for Cana
Roping a Bobcat
Mattress Race
Tree felling made easy
Just Say No
(DA)4 Die In Dirtbike Collision
Wash those genes away
Old shells never die
Man has friend shoot him to get off
BASE jumper succumbs to stupidity
A Mattress of Life and Death....
boat welding
Trail Blazing Gaffe
It only works in the movies
feeling tyred - near miss
Tram drags man with him
Community service for teen who burn
Death by iPod?
If at first you don't succeed
The $500 Bullet
Please Take This Outside
Trailer burns when woman uses gas t
Man dies trying to beat train in Sa
BBQ Whippits
Sledding Accident
Two men burned in backyard blast
Miner nearly crushes himself
The Widow Maker
Redneck Bee Exterminator
Too Close For Comfort
A fool and his bike
arrange your own hit
Grocery Bang!
A tough act to swallow for student
Drain Surfing
Drove 2.5 miles on the wrong way
2 teens hurt by explosion while dri
Departing parted
I'm dying for a drink
Smoking related near miss
Smoky bar triggered fatal asthma at
Man's death linked to cotton swab u
putting your foot in it
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Darwin Awards
2008 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
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Vote to tell me what *you* think!

Inspiration + Youth + Explosives =

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

A personal account, and one which I am not so proud. Throughout human history I wonder how many epic failures and disasters have started with the phrase "Hey! I've got a great idea!". Well my great idea nearly took my head off.

At the impressionable age of 12, some friends and I were playing with penny bangers. Those old enough to recall them before they were banned in the UK will recall the 50p boxes of 50 tissue paper wrapped impact explosives that made a nice BANG on hitting a hard surface. As previously stated I had a stroke of genius. I purchased 20 boxes, 1000 bangers, and got a tissue...

My plan was to empty the contents of each banger into the tissue and make a single large banger, or "bomb" as it would now be called. In hindsight, putting my face REALLY close was a mistake.

At the 850ish mark a stray grain of this volatile powder caused the whole thing to go up.

I think my vision was the first to return, that was within 20 seconds or so. My hearing took a further 3 minutes to get beyond ringing. Of course by then all I could hear was the sound of my 2 friends dying of laughter in a corner. Partly cause of what had happened. Partly because I had a blacked out face with white circles round my eyes where my glasses had been.

Submitted on 02/28/2008

Submitted by: James Pearson
Reference:

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

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Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
I remember those things. Around here they were called "fun snaps", and a quick Google search shows you can still find them for sale. I'm a bit surprised to hear they've been banned in the UK but maybe that's because a lot of kids over there tried doing exactly what you did. I admit that as a kid I tried that as well, but I think I only combined 10 or so together, certainly not 1000. I only wish I could see a photo of the aftermath. Your description is priceless. Thanks for a great story, James!


James said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Well, gunpowder IS gunpowder, after all! Put enough of it together and light it, and BANG! It's all the funnier that you were ALMOST done building the mother of all fun snaps when it went off! Thanks for a good laugh, James!


Darwin Awards II: Unnatural Selection

Hardback. 240 pages. Autographed.
$15
A fresh collection of magnificent misadventures! Lust, Vanity, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Envy, and Wrath extract an evolutionary toll on the wicked. Salute the owner of an equipment training school who demonstrates the dangers of driving a forklift by failing to survive the filming of his own safety video. Witness the man who becomes a victim of his own strange passion for jumping into rivers. Heed the honest bricklayer who loses a battle of wits with 300 pounds of tools.

This book includes more History of the Awards, Gordon's Law, and 10 discussions of evolution, including speciation and the role of verbal memes in civilization.

Autographed by Author!

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