Charles Darwin's Darwin Awards 
HOME
Darwin Awards
Honorable Mentions
Urban Legends
Personal Accounts
Slush Pile
2008 Mentions
Orca Made Me Do It
Missionary Kid
Mexican Divorce
The Turn Of The Screw
Molten Copper Shower
Roundabout Rocket
Other Mention Years 
2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 Vintage
 
~ Randomizer ~
Newsletter
Gift Shop
Rules  Search
Contact Darwin
Submit a Story
Philosophy Forum
Home

  

Darwin Awards
2008 Honorable Mentions
Email a Friend The stupidity displayed by the participants in the following tales stops short of the ultimate Darwin Awards sacrifice. Nevertheless, we salute the spirit and innovation of their misadventures. Next Prev Random

Roundabout Rocket
2008 Honorable Mention
Unconfirmed by Darwin

Two boys were playing with miniature rockets that they had acquired goodness-knows-where. Between the two of them, the idea was formed to tie a string around the rocket, tether it to the backyard birdbath, and thereby cause it to whirl around the sky. Since no sturdy string was at hand, one had the brilliant idea to swipe some freely available yarn from his mother.

The scheme was laid.

They lit the rocket and skittered back from the wheel of sparks they expected. But their expectations were dashed. Instead of watching the rocket spin around its tether, a different experience was in store for them. The flame of the rocket propulsion quickly burnt through the yarn, and the rocket found a new trajectory straight into a vulnerable stomach.

The boy was alternately clutching his gut in pain, and smacking it to remove the rocket and extinguish the flames. He came away from the experience with a large bruise and a ruined, and hastily hidden, shirt. The boys never told their parents what they did.

Here's the kicker: They had graduated from high school the day before!

Reader comment: "The protagonist is my ex-boyfriend. You can see why I'm glad I am no longer in line to assist in propagating his genes!"

ORIGINAL SUBMISSION

DarwinAwards.com © 1994 - 2008
Reference: Anonymous Eyewitness Account

Awful? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Great?
Hate it! Love it!
Previous Directions Next

Visit the Darwin Awards Giftshop

The Darwin Awards: Evolution in Action

Hardback. 327 pages. Autographed.
$15
185 Stories! In the ongoing saga of Survival of the Fittest, meet the thief who steals electrical wires without shutting off the current! Marvel at the would-be pilot who suspends his lawnchair from helium balloons! Learn from the man who peers into a gas can using a cigarette lighter...!

This book also includes a History of the Darwin Awards, Darwin Haiku, and a dozen humorous discussions of the implications of evolution, including the origin of idiots, and the role of testosterone.

Autographed by Author!

 


Advanced Search

HomeRulesFAQsAwardsSlushSite Map
DarwinAward | HonorableMention | PersonalAccount | UrbanLegend