Oaxaco, Mexico, Day of the Dead (Hallowe'en) 2008 Take two female South African tourists, an old gas stove and a Day of the Dead parade - a certain recipe for disaster.

Gas stoves are not big in South Africa, they're electric here, especially ovens. Our two heroines are having problems lighting their gas oven. Clearly, there's not enough gas. Ingeniously, they find a simple solution to the problem. Let the gas build up a little. In fact, close the oven door for a while so it doesn't get out. These girls can use their brains - of course it works. The oven lights instantaneously.

Let us interrupt the story at this point for a brief discussion of some basic physics. If we have a chamber filled with a highly combustible substance and we allow the combustion to happen, we have what is commonly called a bomb. However, if we have a hole in the chamber which allows the combustion gases to escape, it becomes something else... Yes, it's very similar to that ancient Chinese invention, the rocket.

So, here we have an old, very solid gas stove, well primed with gas that is about to be lit through the just opened oven door - a very good approximation of a rocket, that is nicely aimed to be able to make an exit through the Fench window directly behind it. Three stories below, the unsuspecting locals are preparing for their huge annual parade. You begin to see the picture...

The result: BANGWOOSH, TINKLE, CRASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stove exits stage back, the French window dies, stove lands in street missing everybody, several faint in shock. Surprisingly nobody is injured, even the stove survives miraculously...

Contact details of actual people involved available on request.

Submitted on 11/06/2008

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: http://themonkeysphere.blogspot.com/2008/11/amateur-rocketry-101-or-incredible-but.html

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

James said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
While this smacks of urban legend, I will elect to keep it if only because no one was injured, and if true this is rather funny!

Candi said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
I agree with James. If you send the contact details, please do so thru "story comments" or "misc." Thanks for a great story!

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