1998 Darwin Awards

Named in honor of Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, the Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool by removing themselves from it.

Mummy Says, Don't Smoke  1998 Darwin Award Nominee Confirmed True by Darwin Another Reason to Kick the Habit (31 October 1998, Canada) For Halloween this year, a Canadian man dressed as a mummy by wrapping himself from head to toe in fluffy cotton batting. The cotton was taped at the wrists and ankles, and white gloves and running shoes completed his ensemble. As the mummy waited for his girlfriend to dress for pictures, he carelessly lit a cigarette... and the fluffy cotton burst into flames. The reason for flame-retardant costumes became clear. Firefighters arrived within minutes, yet already the mummy costume was reduced to ashes, right down to the white coveralls underneath. The man kept repeating, "It's my fault." He was taken to Soldier's Memorial Hospital with 2nd and 3rd degree burns, where he died the next morning. DarwinAwards.com © 1994 - 2012 Submitted by: Joanne Kaplinski, Deon du Plessis Reference: Orillia Packet and Times Newspaper, Renata D'Aliesio of the Toronto Star Share

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