1996 Darwin Awards

Named in honor of Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, the Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool by removing themselves from it.

Macho Men?  1996 Darwin Awards Winner Some men will got to extraordinary lengths to prove how macho they are. Frenchman Pierre Pumpille recently shunted a stationary car two feet by headbutting it. "Women thought I was a god," he explained from his hospital bed. Deity or not, however, Pumpille is a veritable girl's blouse compared to Polish farmer Krystof Azninski, who staked a strong claim to being Europe's most macho man by cutting off his own head in 1995. Azninski, 30, had been drinking with friends when it was suggested they strip naked and play some "men's games". Initially they hit each other over the head with frozen turnips, but then one man upped the ante by seizing a chainsaw and cutting off the end of his foot. Not to be outdone, Azninski grabbed the saw and, shouting "Watch this then," he swung at his own head and chopped it off. "It's funny," said one companion, "when he was young he put on his sister's underwear. But he died like a man." Submitted by: Davin Reference: Reuters London, Globe and Mail, Bizarre tales from the New Scientist from Reed Business Information

Krzysztof Mach says, "This story is not entirely true. I am Polish and I remember reading about this incident in newspapers. Two guys got drunk and started to make macho type bets. You overestimate the wealth of polish peasants if you believe they were using a chain saw. I remember the bet was resolved using an axe. One man laid his head down and bet the one with an axe that he was not be brave enough to make the cut."

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