Charles Darwin at a green chalkboard.

1999 Darwin Awards

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Honoring Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool--by removing themselves from it in the most spectacular way possible.

Intelligence Blunders
1999 Darwin Award Winner
Confirmed True by Darwin

(August 1999, Manila) A deadly explosion in the Philippines' National Bureau of Investigation was linked to careless NBI agents smoking near a bucketful of dynamite powder. Remnants of hand grenades, bullets, and weapons were scattered far and wide.

The powerful blast gouged a crater beneath the NBI annex, shattered third-floor windows near by, and killed seven people including the cigarette-smoking perpetrators.

The bucket, stored in the NBI annex for over a year, represented a surprising failure to safeguard seized evidence. Added to this mental lapse is the image of carefree smokers crushing out their smoldering butts in a pail of dynamite powder. Group Darwin Award!

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Submitted by: Steve Evans

Reference: CNN.com and Philstar Global

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