The Darwin Awards 
HOME
Darwin Awards
At-Risk Survivors
Slush Pile
2005 Darwins
Kittie Toy
Chimney-Cleaning Grenade
Freeway Dangler
"Plug Me In"
Failed Frame-Up
Elephant Tail
Surprise Attack Surprise
Wales Wins
What I Can Still Do
Mining for Elephants
The Nuisance of Seatbelts
Rocketing to Glory
Tide Waits for No Man
Off-Road Driving
Death Valley Daze
All Wound Up
Heck on Wheels
Other Darwin Years 
2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 Vintage
 
~ Random Story ~
Email Alert!
NEW! Gift Shop
Rules  Search
Contact Darwin
Submit a Story
Philosophy Forum
Home

  

Darwin Awards
2005 Darwin Award WINNER
Email a Friend 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. Next Prev Random

 
 
Chimney-Cleaning Grenade
2005 Darwin Award Winner
Confirmed True by Darwin

(13 January 2005, Croatia) One fateful afternoon, 55-year-old Marko retreated to his semi-detached workshop to make himself a tool for chimney cleaning. The chimney was too high for a simple broom to work, but if he could attach a brush to a chain and then weigh it down with something, that would do the trick. But what could he use as a weight?

He happened to have the perfect object. It was heavy, yet compact. And best of all, it was made of metal, so he could weld it to the chain. He must have somehow overlooked the fact that it was also a hand grenade and was filled with explosive material.

Marko turned on his welding apparatus and began to create an arc between the chain and the grenade. As the metal heated up, the grenade exploded. The force of the explosion killed poor Marko instantly, blasting shrapnel through the walls of the shed and shattering the windshield of a Mercedes parked outside. Marko's chimney was untouched, however.

Reader Comments:
"That fellow made an 'ash' of himself."
"Home improvement gone terribly wrong."
"Soot-black humour."
"Sounds like he blew it!"
"A cautionary tale for Santa."
"Chim-chimeny, chim-chimeny, chim-chim-Kaboom!"

DarwinAwards.com © 1994 - 2012 Woot!
Reference: Večernji List

Previous Directions Next

The Darwin Awards Gift Shop

Darwin Awards III: Survival of the Fittest

Hardback. 304 pages. Autographed.
$15
The human race's most popular humor series returns with a brand-new collection of macabre mishaps and misadventures. Honoring those who improve our gene pool by inadvertently removing themselves from it, the Darwin Awards III shows once more how uncommon common sense still is.

Salute the sheriff who inadvertently shot himself--twice! Witness the insurance defrauder who amputated his leg with a chainsaw! Heed the story of the farmer who avoided bee stings by sealing his head in a plastic bag! Cringe at the man crushed by a branch he'd just severed... directly over his head!

123 new stories, 18 full-page illustrations, plus discussions of transgenic animals, the origin of life, and more.

Autographed by Author!

 

 


Advanced Search

HomeRulesFAQsAwardsSlushSite Map
DarwinAward | HonorableMention | PersonalAccount | UrbanLegend