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2008 January Slush
(UL)Roping A Deer
(Hmmm)Tiger, not lion, kills 1, injurs 2
(DA)Slippery When Wet
(DA)Pulled into the abyss
(Hmm)White Spirit IS Flammable
(?)VA Man Shot to Death While Beating
(DA)Not a Shred of Sense
(DA)Chest Piercing Electrocution
(?)Un-happy slapper
(?)Need for Speed
(?)Great Balls of Fire!
(?)Had big balls.
(?)Rich and Overconfident
(DA)Sneaking Across
Conveyor belt outlasts runner
(?)Let Me Get a Better Look!
(DA)A series of Im-Pined Events
(HM)Home Made IED
(?)Graffitists drown in storm drain
Skier dies after triggering avalanc
Do-I-Yourself Shock Therapry
MANS BEST FRIEND???
Rafts, Rivers, Cement and Bridges
Woman attacked twice by shark
Picnic Lunch
Holy Flaming DOH!
gangsta guns & fireworks don't mix
The high cost of gas
Police: Man Shot Himself In Genital
Auger to Heaven
Drunken driver saves beer
(NO)Disabled man turned himself into hu
Miami of Ohio University...
(?)Jumbolair Airborne BMW
Fire up the BBQ !
(several)
Man stabs self while fleeing
The Faster Method
Kinky Sex, Shocking Death
highway worker nearly earns award
Reverse Mohawk
1 shoot closes slaying case
Grafitti Vandals Drown
When Couch Potatoes Take Root.
two for one
dangerous mixture
Is half a Darwin better then none?
Do Tell
Drowned pair 'spraypainting inside
Man Shot Himself In Genitals During
Explosive Military Intelligence
Men shoot themselves in tattoo atte
Making Deadly Gas at Home
German man goes out with X-mas Tree
vodka+viagra death
Fake hanging becomes all too real
Death by Exploding toilet
Down the drain!
Pneumatic Nail Gun Surprize
One sleeper too many on rail tracks
Man Killed in Backyard Explosion
What was he doing up in that crane?
Semi-Conductor
That is one Fowl Shot
diver drowns for golf balls
Metal fence gets revenge
Burning Pants
Police Break in?
Killer Drill
Go Get the Lawnmower
Next Time Buy a Ticket!
dumest showoff driver ever
Couldn't wait to get down and party
Truck-a-Luck
dangerous dog food
They Ain't no Bo and Luke Duke!
The Blue - Handed Pikeman
Un-happy slapper
Driver found unbuckled in crash, bu
Man Shot Himself In Genitals During
He now hates that 'Tom Tom' GPS!!!
A Crocodile Poacher gets scrambled.
Bare hand versus table saw
Drunken Phone Repair
Knife thief stabs self during getaw
Belly dancing through traffic
Who knew trucks were heavy?
Man held by ankles to snap photo
Super Glue Eye Drops
Eagle explosion
Cutting up a Napalm Bomb
Escalator Misused
Flash Powder near miss
Log Jamming
Driver requires GPS Train-ing
elevator surfer
Two men dead after swimming in drai
New year buffaloe ride
freek accident
Rest in Peas
Bike VS. Train
Is Arthur still going to heaven?
Slow Learner
Hangings should never be mocked up
Strong finger for firing a pistol
unsuccessful robber shoots self in
The Death of Deadtown
Don't want to fall out of this bed!
Abused car strikes back
Goat Overcomes Man
New years Nose Ring In Brain
Dog Love
Homosexual Couple Hospitalized
Listen to your parents!
Run over getting the bins in
Man breaks neck in pool accident
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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!

Flash Powder near miss

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

One windy day I had just mixed a quantity of flash powder and went outside to test it. I Had no idea how explosive it might be - whether it would simply burn or explode. I assumed it wouldn't be very energetic as all of my other attempts so far had been pretty tame, so I was leaning over it trying to shield the matches I was using to light it with from the brisk wind..

I didn't know it at the time but my Dad was sneaking up behind me to scare me in order to encourage me to be more careful.

Right when the powder ignited he grabbed me and by reflex action pulled me backwards when he saw the detonation - good thing too because the powder went WHOOSH making a column of white smoke 20 feet high which was carried through the trees by the wind.

An instant before this my face was directly over this 1.oz of flash powder. So I learned 2 things that day -

1.) homebrew pyrotechnics can be very dangerous and unpredictable 2.) further safety precautions were needed as I was very lucky to still have my face intact after that incident

from then on I tested mixtures only from a distance using electric fuses and treating all my mixtures with as much caution as the blasting caps I found in a trailer (which safety spots were running on TV about at the time warning of the dangers)

PS The flash powder was in an open container so I didn't think it could actually explode - but it did, up until that time I assumed a closed/sealed container was required to produce an explosion

7 parts sodium chlorate (this is hard to obtain in pure form these days but was easy to get when I was a kid) 2 parts magnesium powder/filings/shavings 1 part sulfur

Submitted on 01/08/2008

Submitted by: The Mad Scientist
Reference: personal account - early 70's

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

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Chip said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Ah yes, another tale of the homemade blasting powder! Glad you still have a face. Thanks for the story, Mad


Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
You sure are lucky your dad was there at such an opportune time. Thanks for a great story!


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