Charles Darwin with a purple swarm around his head, contemplating the twist of fate that natural selection sidestepped these still-living honorable mentions.

2009 Honorable Mention

Next Prev Random Honorable Mentions have misadventures that stop short of the ultimate sacrifice. Nevertheless we salute the spirit of their colossal blunders with an Honorable Mention. Better luck next time!

Gimpy Wendy
2009 Honorable Mention
Confirmed True by Darwin

(August 2009, California) Wendy Darwin Northcutt, writer of humorous obituaries and author of five Darwin Awards books, nearly made her own dark list when she broke her leg devising a clever way to cool the house. During a California heat wave, she opened up a grate in the hallway intending to install a fan to force basement air up. The phone rang and, forgetting about the hole in the floor, three hours passed before she wandered down the hall and fell into it. Crunch!

A broken leg was the price she paid for the lesson:
Never walk away from a hole in the floor.

Reader Neil Clark: "I'd RECOMMEND walking away from holes. It's turning around and walking back that's dangerous..." Reader Richard Scott: "Sorry to hear about you leg but I bet you are happy that it was you who entered the report..." Stephanie Bonds: "If you can walk away from such a "grate" experience, I want you as my friend!" "Be 'grate'ful.""

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Reference: Personal account by the author of Charles Darwin scribbles on a great green chalkboard. , whose integrity is beyond reproach.

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