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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.
Should I include it in the archive?
Vote to tell me what *you* think!

Home Made IED

2008 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

Darwin says, "Accepted into the Archive. I have really become fond of these 'lived to tell the tale' narratives. Many people have survived a close brush with death, and their stories make vivid cautionary tales for our younger readers."


ORIGINAL SUBMISSION:

I was a 9 year old missionary kid in Indonesia and fascinated with fire works. One of my favorites was the Roman candle, you know, the ones that shoot pretty colored balls into the air from one end of a cardboard tube while you hold the other end. Then I had a "bright" idea. Wouldn't it be cool to see that stuff shooting out the end of a coke bottle? I used my pocket knife to spit some Roman candles in two and poured the contents into a coke bottle. Then, you guessed it, I lit the thing with a match. I still have nightmares to this day of that match at the mouth of the coke bottle, and I'm 41! The explosion was so huge that it burned off my eyebrows, singed my hair in front, and showered me with glass shrapnel. I spent several hours in surgery getting the glass picked out of my body and re-attaching the tendons above my ankle that had been severed completely in two. I couldn't hear anything, but witnesses said it was the loudest explosion they'd ever heard and that I was screeming hysterically and hopping on my one good foot until I collapsed and was carried to the hospital. The top of the coke bottle was found sitting in the street 50 feet away! To this day, an occasional piece of glass surfaces through my skin! Among my missionary kid friends, I'm a legend in stupidity for that brilliant event!

Submitted on 01/30/2008

Submitted by: Chris Harper, MD
Reference:

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

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>> Moderator Scores <<

Chip said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Chris, if this were not a Personal Account then the "victim" would be underage. Did you see the pretty balls flying by anyway? Thanks for the humorous story.


James said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Phosphorous. Fun stuff. REALLY fun stuff, especially if it burns you! I will confess that I was just as curious (at that age) about what was inside a Roman Candle and might have done the same had I access to one! Anyway, an amusing tale! Thanks, Doc!


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