A Darwin Award is given to anyone who is either killed or sterilized through a dumb act. Some of them (well, most of them) are incredibly ridiculous, like…
5. The Phantom Planker
Planking is an internet meme that has (thankfully) gone extinct for the most part. It involves stretching the body and lying down in a prone position in a weird (and sometimes questionable) location, as demonstrated in this random picture of a guy planking on two dromedary camels. In 2011, an Australian gentleman in his twenties tried planking on a high railing, and fell seven stories. The impact of hitting the ground tragically killed him.
4. Summer Fall
If this isn’t a cautionary tale about waiting patiently, I don’t know what is. This event took place in August 2010 in South Korea. A middle-aged man who happened to be handicapped became enraged that the elevator left him behind, and his reaction was to continuously ram his wheelchair against the door. The man got his wish regarding the opening of the doors…and he fell to his death down the elevator shaft.
3. Fired
Two American men staffing a sprint car event had a “bright” (sorry) idea to pour four gallons of menthol in a barrel, sit on top of it, and light it on fire. Although they thought they’d get an amusing ride, the barrel predictably exploded. Both men were hospitalized, but one died while in the hospital.
2. Handle With Care
Two Finnish brothers had a rather unorthodox hobby, which was weapon collecting. They collected guns, grenades, fusing material, and ammunition, which I suppose would be fine if they had actually been trained how to handle them. That’s right: they were in possession of weapons that they didn’t even know how to handle! One day, the older brother was attempting to disarm a large grenade. Instead, however, he accidentally detonated it, killing himself and seriously injuring his little brother.
1. Water on the brain
This is the dumbest one that I could find, and I’ll admit that I found it while actively looking for a female Darwin Awardee, so as not to discriminate against men. In 2009, a North Carolina woman decided to take her moped to her local convenience store despite a severe rainstorm that was stranding cars. Her local highway patrol cut of many roads in her town, including her home street. She passed the barriers, but lost control of the moped and fell into the creek. An officer rescued her and tried to interview her; however, when he called for backup, she jumped back into the creek to retrieve the moped. Instead, the creek (and the Grim Reaper) retrieved her.
Untame Saluki 