Teme Darvinove nagrade i Urbane legende su spojene. Sve vezano za Darvinove nagrade i Urbane legende ubuduće postujte u ovoj temi. Linkovi ka prethodnim temama su dati dole.

Darvinove nagrade:

Prva strana [link]

• Sta su Darvinove nagrade?
• Darvinove nagrade za 1999. godinu
• Chimney-Cleaning Grenade
• Nighttime Fun with Bullets
• Nagrade za period 1995 - 1998
• Nagrade za period 1995 – 1998
• Right Over the Dam
• Crash Course for High Flyers
• Nagrade za period 1995 – 1998
• Tree vs. Man

Druga strana [link]

• Playing with Elephants
• Nagrade za period 1995 – 1998
• Mining for Elephants
• Failed Frame-Up
• Nagrade za period 1995 – 1998
• Freeway Dangler
• "Plug Me In"
• Nagrade za period 1995 – 1998
• Rutting Contest
• Hold That Bus!

Treća strana [link]

• Nagrade za period 1995 – 1998
• "Who Wants Summa This?"
• Surprise Attack Surprise
• Uteshne nagrane
• The Nuisance of Seatbelts
• Stepping Out
• Uteshne nagrane
• What I Can Still Do
• Damned if You Do...
• Workin' at the Car Wash

Četvrta strana [link]

• Love Struck
• Chicken to Go
• Man Drowns in Kitchen Sink
• Watch Out for That Tree!
• Self-Demolition Derby
• Faulty Aim Fata
• What's That Sound?
• A Honey of a Buzz
• Tied Off
• Shoot 'em Off [extra]

Peta strana [link]

• Where's the Chute?
• Train of Thought

Urbane legende:

Prva strana [link]

• Šta su urbane legende
• Misteriozne smrti u šok sobi
• Bizzare death
• Raccoon Rocket
• Gerbil Rocket
• Domaće urbane legende
• Cow Bomb
• Misadventure at the Metallica Koncert

Druga strana [link]

• Scuba Divers and Forest Fires
• Unfortunate Husband II
• The Bricklayer
• You Said a Mouthful
• Constipated Elephant
• Overkill I
• Magični konopac
• The Dog and the Jeep
• Man Glued to Rhino Buttocks
• Gun-Totin' Granny

Treća strana [link]

• Hydrogen Beer Disaster
• Mad Trombonist
• Frog Giggin' Accident in Arkansas
• Dental Calamity
• A Medieval Tale
• Stalled Motorcycle
• Power Plant Fitness Freak
• Hippo on Dwarf Diet

Četvrta strana [link]

• Beogradski beli porshe

Peta strana [link]

• Na ispitu

Darvinova nagrada

Mile-High Club Failure

1994 Darwin Award Nominee
Confirmed True by Darwin

(23 December 1991, Florida) This account of an aircraft accident is quoted directly from the National Transportation Safety Board report, with comments added in [brackets] for clarity.

Aircraft: PIPER PA-34-200T, Registration: N47506
Injuries: 2 Fatal.

 The private pilot and a pilot rated passenger [two pilots] were going to practice simulated instrument flight. Witnesses observed the airplane's right wing fail in a dive and crash. Examination of the wreckage and bodies revealed that both occupants were partially clothed and the front right seat was in the full aft reclining position. [The pilots had converted the co-pilot seat to a bed.] Neither body showed evidence of seatbelts or shoulder harnesses being worn. [They were lying on the bed.] Examination of the individuals' clothing revealed no evidence of ripping or distress to the zippers and belts. [Their lack of clothing seemed to be voluntary.]

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

The pilot in command's improper in-flight decision to divert her attention to other activities not related to the conduct of the flight. [The pilot and co-pilot were having sex, and nobody was flying the plane.] Contributing to the accident was the exceeding of the design limits of the airplane leading to a wing failure. [The lack of a pilot caused the plane to fly erratically, over-stressing the wing and leading to a crash.]

Darvinova nagrada

Catapult to Glory

1986 Darwin Award Nominee
Unconfirmed by Darwin


(1986, United Kingdom) In 1986 the UK saw its most violent storm in 350 years. Winds exceeded 90 mph, and an incredible amount of damage was done to property and people up and down the UK. Millions of trees were uprooted by the gales.

In Margate in the county of Kent, one unfortunate homeowner had a property bordered by three massive poplars. The wind had felled one, which came to rest across his back garden. Another poplar had been bent over just far enough to lodge its top under the soffit of his roof. The foliage was blocking his upstairs bedroom windows, and something had to be done.

This chap did not own a chainsaw, nor could he reach the trunk of the tree from the house, even when leaning out the window. So he decided to shinny up and saw off the top while sitting astride the trunk, with his feet wedged against the gutter of his roof. He had plenty of time to reflect on the wisdom of his position, as it took him 20 minutes of sawing before the bent tree, which experts estimate held the energy equivalent to small field gun--parted company with the portion trapped by the soffit, and sprang back upright.

His body was found in a neighbor's garden over a mile away. The police surgeon stated that his neck probably broke during the whiplash and he would therefore have known nothing of the impact with the ground.

Urban Legend?

wumpus argues, "The physics doesn't work. There is no way a bent poplar could rocket a human a distance of a mile." The submitter says, "This appeared in Kent newspapers and, like most rational beings, I too found it difficult to believe." Paul chimes in, "At best, the truth has been greatly exaggerated. The energy required to hurl a man a mile would be astronomical. If the tree held under the sofit hurled the guy a few yards away from his house, then I'd buy it. Methinks this is Grade A Bologna. Mr Z points out, "The 'hurricane' was 1987 not 1986 which leads me to question the veracity of the whole story."gollum421 says, "Ci punched in the windspeed and some average poplar statistics to determine how much energy stored in the poplar could be converted to kinetic energy for the guy, noted some air resistance -- nowhere near a mile. Ultra liberal estimations gave him about 80 meters."

Darvinova nagrada

Wrong Time, Wrong Place

1990 Darwin Award Nominee
Confirmed True by Darwin

3 February 1990, Washington


The following mind-boggling attempt at a crime spree appeared to be the robber's first, due to his lack of a previous record of violence, and his terminally stupid choices:

1. His target was H&J Leather & Firearms. A gun shop.

2. The shop was full of customers - firearms customers.

3. To enter the shop, the robber had to step around a marked police patrol car parked at the front door.

4. A uniformed officer was standing at the counter, having coffee before work.

Upon seeing the officer, the would-be robber announced a holdup, and fired a few wild shots. The officer and a clerk promptly returned fire, covered by several customers who also drew their guns, thereby removing the confused criminal from the gene pool.

No one else was hurt.

Darvinova nagrada

Dying for a Ciggie

2003 Darwin Award Nominee
Confirmed True by Darwin

 (17 June 2003, between Shap and Penrith, United Kingdom) National Express runs bus services throughout the UK. The service between Aberdeen and London takes approximately 12 hours. There's no smoking on the coach, making it a long trip for smokers. Sandra, 43, was riding south from Glasgow to visit her family, and she was getting more and more desperate for a cigarette.
The coach stopped at Carlisle. Finally she could satisfy her craving! But no, she was not allowed to get off the coach. Sandra sat in the bus, becoming more agitated by the mile. She was craving a cigarette. She needed it now.

Fellow passengers said she became increasingly anxious as the journey continued, and started shouting that she wanted to get off. However, the coach was on a motorway at the time, and was not allowed to stop except for an emergency. They saw Sandra push her hands against the passenger door in the middle of the lower deck. Surely she couldn't be trying to get off the coach to have that cigarette she'd been dreaming of, could she?

Oh yes she could!

Police concluded that she fell out of the coach, which was traveling at approximately 60mph, and was crushed under its wheels. At that point, the coach made that hoped-for emergency stop, but it was too late for Sandra. She died at the scene and never did get to enjoy that cigarette.

Darvinova nagrada

Ultimate Quest for Airtime

2003 Darwin Award Nominee
Confirmed True by Darwin

 (31 May 2003, Indiana) Tamar came all the way from New York for the annual Stark Raven Mad event at the Splashin' Safari waterpark at Holiday World, where members of the American Coaster Enthusiasts planned to rendezvous on Memorial Day weekend. The 32-year-old eagerly looked forward to riding the Raven, later described by Spencer County Prosecutor Jon Dartt as "one of the world's most terrifying roller coasters."
Tamar planned what coaster enthusiasts call "catching airtime," standing up during the ride to show bravery. The park staff warned the "spirited and intelligent" Harvard MBA, along with the rest of the group, "Don't mess with our safety equipment." Tamar's seat belt and lap bar restraint were in place when the train left the station. But you can't catch airtime that way. Her seatbelt was later found unbuckled and tucked into the seat cushions.

As the train swooped over the precipice into the "infamous drop" on the fifth turn at 60 mph, where the G-forces are notoriously skyward, Tamar unlatched her seat belt and stood up. The train dropped, but Tamar didn't. She caught good air until she landed on the ground, 69 feet below.

_________________

Chlanak koji potvrdjuje prichu

May 4, 2005
Associated Press


SANTA CLAUS, Ind. — The father of a woman who was killed when she fell off a southern Indiana roller coaster has sued the amusement park, claiming it was negligent.

The federal lawsuit comes almost two years after officials concluded no criminal charges should be filed because Tamar Fellner fell out when she stood up while the ride was moving at Holiday World.

Fellner, 32, of New York City, was among a group of roller coaster enthusiasts who visited the park in Santa Claus on May 31, 2003. She was seated in the last row of the six-car train on the wooden roller coaster, The Raven, at the park some 40 miles east of Evansville.

Park officials said she fell from the ride while it was in the midst of a 69-foot drop. Witnesses told investigators they saw Fellner standing up in the car as it neared the drop. They also found her seat belt unbuckled when the car returned to the station.

An investigation showed her seat belt and lap bar were buckled and locked when she started the ride. An independent company, LeisureTech Services of Wildwood, N.J., also concluded that Fellner standing during the ride was the only factor contributing to her fall.

But the lawsuit filed Monday on behalf of Fellner’s father, Rabbi Azriel Fellner, alleges the amusement park failed to ensure the woman was properly restrained and that the manufacturer could have used a safer design.

“The cars on roller coasters should be designed in such a way that nobody should be able to fall from them,” Azriel Fellner’s attorney Keith Vonderahe said. “If they’re designed that way, then the (staff) at the park have to make sure that people use them properly.”

Named as defendants were Koch Development Corp. of Santa Claus, which does business as Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, and the roller coaster car’s manufacturer, Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters Inc. It does not demand a specific amount in damages but says they exceed $75,000.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania because the car’s manufacturer is based in Hatfield, Pa.

After her death, the coaster was inspected and no mechanical deficiencies were found, said Holiday World president William Koch.
“We continue to extend our heartfelt sympathy to the Fellner family,” said Koch, whose family has operated the amusement park since 1946. “This was a tragedy.”

Vonderahe said the fall was an accident, but a preventable one.

Darvinova nagrada

Score One For Goliath

2006 Darwin Award Nominee
Confirmed True by Darwin

(September 2006, Florida) A fearsome mythical giant was felled by a humble slingshot. But a modern speargun vs. an underwater leviathan is another tale altogether, as a Florida man discovered.
Outlawed in 1990, hunting Goliath-sized groupers remains surprisingly popular. These fish can weigh hundreds of pounds, yet there are underwater hunters who choose to tether themselves to such muscular sea creatures. However unlikely a pursuit, the poaching of groupers by divers and snorkelers continues, in defiance of both the law and common sense.

Of this elite group, our Darwin Award winner distinguished himself yet further by disregarding one essential spearfishing precaution. By embarking on this hunt without a knife to cut himself loose, the "fit and experienced snorkeler" was guaranteeing that his next attack on a giant grouper would be his last.

Why anyone thinks it's a good idea to tether yourself to a fish twice your size, I don't know. Some time later, the body of the spearfisher was found pinned to the coral, 17 feet underwater. Three coils of line were wrapped around his wrist, and one very dead grouper was impaled at the other end of the line.

In those final hours, the tables were turned, and the fish was given an opportunity to reflect on the experience of "catching a person."

 

Darvinova nagrada

Faith as a Flotation Device

2006 Darwin Award Nominee
Confirmed True by Darwin

(August 2006, Libreville, Gabon) In August, a congregation's 35-year old pastor insisted one could literally walk on water, if only one had enough faith. Big and bold was his speech. He extolled the heavenly power possessed by a faithful man with such force that he may well have convinced himself.

Whether or not he believed in his heart, his sermons left room for only shame should he leave his own faith untested. Thus, the pastor set out to walk across a major estuary, the path of a 20-minute ferry ride. But the man could not swim.

Lacking the miraculous powers of David Copperfield, let alone holy Jesus Christ, this ill-fated cleric found only a Darwin Award at the end of his final path.

 

Urbana legenda

Bad Day at the Office

1998 Urban Legend

The sister of the deceased in Scuba Divers and Forest Fires shows us his last email message to her.
Hi Sue,

 Just another note from your bottom-dwelling brother. Last week I had a bad day at the office. Before I can tell you what happened to me, I first must bore you with a few technicalities of my job. As you know, my office lies at the bottom of the sea. I wear a suit to the office. It's a wetsuit.

This time of year the water is quite cool. So here's what we do to keep warm: We have a diesel-powered industrial water heater. This $20,000 piece of equipment sucks the water out of the sea. It heats it to a delightful temp. It then pumps it down to the diver through a garden hose which is taped to the air hose. Now this sounds like a damn good plan, doesn't it? I've used it several times with no complaints.

When I get to the bottom and start working, what I do is take the hose and stuff it down the back of my neck and flood my whole suit with warm water. It's like working in a Jacuzzi. Everything was going well until my ass started to itch. So, of course, I scratched it. This only made things worse. Within a few seconds my itchy ass started to burn. I pulled the hose out from my back, but the damage was done.

In agony I realized what had happened. The hot-water machine had sucked up a jellyfish and pumped it into my suit. This
 is even worse than poison ivy under a cast. I had put that hose down my back, but I don't have any hair on my back, so the jellyfish couldn't get stuck to my back. My ass crack was not as fortunate.
When I scratched what I thought was an itch, I was actually grinding the jellyfish into my ass. I informed the dive supervisor of my dilemma over the communications system. His instructions were unclear due to the fact that he and 5 other divers were laughing hysterically.

Needless to say I aborted the dive. I was instructed to make 3 hellish in-water decompression stops totaling 35 minutes before I could reach the surface for my chamber dry decompression. I got to the surface wearing nothing but my brass helmet. My suit and gear were tied to the bell. When I got on board, the medic, with tears of laughter streaming down his face, handed me a tube of cream and told me to coat my ass when I got in the chamber. The cream put the fire out, but I couldn't shit for two days because my asshole was swollen shut.

We've since modified the equipment to filter out most sea creatures.

Anyway, the next time you have a bad day at the office, think of me. Think about how much worse your day would be if you were to squash a jellyfish on your ass. I hope you have no bad days at the office. But if you do, I hope this will make it more tolerable.

 

Darvinova nagrada

Stubbed Out

2006 Darwin Award Nominee
Confirmed True by Darwin

(17 April 2006, England) There's always someone who thinks good advice doesn't apply to him. For example, if a doctor advises that the one thing you must not do is go near a flame, as you are going to be covered wtih a flammable material, most people would take this advice onboard, and not strike a match until the flammable material has been removed.

However, Phillip, 60, knew better than his doctor. Philip was in the hospital to treat a skin disease, said treatment consisting of being smeared in paraffin-based cream. Philip was warned that the cream would ignite, so he definitely should NOT smoke. But he just couldn't live without that cigarette."

Smoking was not permitted anywhere on the ward, but Phillip took this setback in stride, and sneaked out onto a fire escape. Once he was hidden, he lit up... inhaled... and peace descended as he got his nicotine fix. Things went downhill only after he finished his cigarette, at the moment he ground out the butt with his heel.

The paraffin cream had been absorbed by his clothing. As his heel touched the butt, fumes from his pyjamas ignited. The resulting inferno "cremated" his skin condition, and left first-degree burns on much of his body. Despite excellent treatment, he died in intensive care.

Using the Darwin checklist:

1.Reproduction -- if he has children, he's not having more.
2.Excellence -- this one I'll remember!
3.Self-Selection -- he was warned paraffin & flames don't mix.
4.Maturity -- At 60 I guess he was old enough.
5.Veracity -- Major UK news carriers covered the story.

This ticks all the boxes, and though I feel sorry for the family, his death acts as a warning to others. If a doctor tells you not to smoke, there's a very good reason.