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37-502: The Darwin Awards are a rhetorical tongue-in-cheek honor that originated in Usenet newsgroup discussions around 1985. They recognize individuals who have supposedly contributed to human evolution by selecting themselves out of the gene pool by dying or becoming sterilized by their own actions. The project became more formalized with the creation of a website in 1993, followed by

74-449: A CB radio , sandwiches, 2 litres of Coca-Cola, a pack of beer and a camera. When the cord that tied his lawn chair to his Jeep broke prematurely, before the end of a planned delay to notifying the authorities, Walters's lawn chair rose rapidly to a height of about 16,000 feet (4,900 m) and was spotted from two commercial airliners. He slowly drifted over Long Beach and crossed the primary approach corridor of Long Beach Airport. He

111-494: A 14-year-old girl in Brazil who was killed while leaning out of a school bus window, but she was "disqualified" for the award itself because of the likely public objection owing to the girl's age, which Northcutt asserts is based on " magical thinking ". The Darwin Awards have received varying levels of scrutiny from the scientific community. In his book Encyclopedia of Evolution , biology professor Stanley A. Rice comments: "Despite

148-542: A 45-minute flight in a homemade aerostat made of an ordinary lawn chair and 42 helium -filled weather balloons . The aircraft rose to an altitude of about 16,000 feet (4,900 m), drifted from the point of liftoff in San Pedro, California , and entered controlled airspace near Long Beach Airport . During the final descent, the aircraft became entangled in power lines, but Walters was able to climb down safely. The flight attracted worldwide media attention and inspired

185-407: A book containing only 10% of the material gathered for the website. The first book turned out to be a success, and was listed on The New York Times best-seller list for 6 months. Not all of the feedback from the stories Northcutt published was positive, and she occasionally received email from people who knew the deceased. One such person advised: "This is horrible. It has shocked our community to

222-486: A faltering voice, 'O! 'tis very well—damn my blood! I shall find a time.' I signified my contempt of him by thrusting my tongue in my cheek, which humbled him so much, that he scarce swore another oath aloud during the whole journey. The phrase appears in 1828 in The Fair Maid of Perth by Sir Walter Scott : The fellow who gave this all-hail thrust his tongue in his cheek to some scapegraces like himself. It

259-510: A movie , a musical and numerous imitators. Lawrence Richard "Larry" Walters had often dreamed of flying, but was unable to become a pilot in the United States Air Force because of his poor eyesight. Instead, he became a truck driver . He first thought of using weather balloons to fly at age 13, after seeing them hanging from the ceiling of a military surplus store. In 1982, he decided to try his flying idea. His intention

296-613: A person has children; the Darwin Award rules state that the presence of offspring does not disqualify a nominee. The origin of the Darwin Awards can be traced back to posts on Usenet group discussions as early as 1985. A post on August 7, 1985, describes the awards as being "given posthumously to people who have made the supreme sacrifice to keep their genes out of our pool. Style counts, not everyone who dies from their own stupidity can win." This early post cites an example of

333-564: A person who tried to break into a vending machine and was crushed to death when he pulled it over himself. Another widely distributed early story mentioning the Darwin Awards is the JATO Rocket Car , which describes a man who strapped a jet-assisted take-off unit to his Chevrolet Impala in the Arizona desert and who died on the side of a cliff as his car achieved speeds of 250 to 300 miles per hour (400 to 480 km/h). This story

370-411: A pilot's license, we'd suspend that, but he doesn't." Walters initially was fined $ 4,000 for violations under U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations , including operating an aircraft within an airport traffic area "without establishing and maintaining two-way communications with the control tower." Walters appealed, and the fine was reduced to $ 1,500. A charge of operating a "civil aircraft for which there

407-647: A power line at 423 E 44th Way in Long Beach. The power line broke, causing a 20-minute electricity blackout . He landed unharmed. Walters was immediately arrested by waiting members of the Long Beach Police Department . Regional safety inspector Neal Savoy was reported to have said, "We know he broke some part of the Federal Aviation Act, and as soon as we decide which part it is, some type of charge will be filed. If he had

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444-495: A series of books starting in 2000 by Wendy Northcutt. The criterion for the awards states: "In the spirit of Charles Darwin , the Darwin Awards commemorate individuals who protect our gene pool by making the ultimate sacrifice of their own lives. Darwin Award winners eliminate themselves in an extraordinarily idiotic manner, thereby improving our species' chances of long-term survival." Accidental self-sterilization also qualifies, but

481-500: A truck driver. He was featured in a Timex print ad in the early 1990s, but never made much money from his fame. The lawn chair used in the flight was reportedly given to an admiring boy named Jerry, though Walters regretted doing so when the Smithsonian Institution asked him to donate it to its museum. Twenty years later, Jerry sent an email to Mark Barry, a pilot who had documented Walters's story and dedicated

518-518: A wall) is noted to be in this category, despite being intentional and self-inflicted (i.e. attempted suicide), which would normally disqualify the inductee. In 2011, however, the awards targeted a 16-year-old boy in Leeds who died stealing copper wiring (he was underage at the time of his death; the standard minimum driving age in Great Britain being 17). In 2012, Northcutt made similar light of

555-644: A website to it, and identified himself. The chair was still sitting in his garage, attached to some of the original tethers and water jugs used as ballast . The chair was placed on loan to the San Diego Air and Space Museum , where it was exhibited in 2014. It was later donated to the Smithsonian. After being displayed at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia, the lawn chair is now on display at

592-462: Is Larry Walters , who attached helium -filled weather balloons to a lawn chair and floated far above Long Beach, California , in July 1982. He reached an altitude of 16,000 ft (4,900 m), but survived, to be later fined for crossing controlled airspace . (Walters later fell into depression and died by suicide.) Another notable honorable mention was given to the two men who attempted to burgle

629-568: Is in production by filmmaker Nirvan Mullick , using lost footage from Larry’s flight. Later in his life, Walters hiked the San Gabriel Mountains and did volunteer work for the United States Forest Service . He later broke up with his girlfriend of 15 years and could only find work sporadically as a security guard. On October 6, 1993, at the age of 44, Walters died by suicide after shooting himself in

666-433: Is intended to be funny. A number of foolish but common activities, such as smoking in bed, are excluded from consideration. In contrast, self-immolation caused by smoking after being administered a flammable ointment in a hospital and specifically told not to smoke is grounds for nomination. One "Honorable Mention" (a man who attempted suicide by swallowing nitroglycerin pills , and then tried to detonate them by running into

703-663: Is not clear how Scott intended readers to understand the phrase. The more modern ironic sense appeared in a poem in The Ingoldsby Legends (1842) by the English clergyman Richard Barham , in which a Frenchman inspects a watch and cries: 'Superbe! Magnifique!' / (with his tongue in his cheek) The ironic usage originates with the idea of suppressed mirth—biting one's tongue to prevent an outburst of laughter. Lawnchair Larry On July 2, 1982, Larry Walters (April 19, 1949 – October 6, 1993) made

740-400: Is not currently in effect an airworthiness certificate " was dropped, as it was not applicable to his class of aircraft. Just after landing, Walters spoke to the press, saying: It was something I had to do. I had this dream for twenty years, and if I hadn't done it, I think I would have ended up in the funny farm . He also said: Since I was 13 years old, I've dreamed of going up into

777-749: The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. The song "Walters" by the American band Pinback from their 2007 album Autumn of the Seraphs is about the event and his life after it. A comedy musical based on the events debuted at The Lowry in Salford , UK in April 2024. 2003 Australian comedy film Danny Deckchair was inspired by Larry’s story. A documentary called Larry’s Lawnchair

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814-613: The Darwin Awards are "clearly meant to be funny", they do not accurately represent how genetics work, further noting that "'smart' people do stupid things all the time". Geologist and science communicator Sharon A. Hill has criticized the Darwin Awards on both scientific and ethical grounds, claiming that no genetic traits impact personal intelligence or good judgment to be targeted by natural selection , and calling them an example of "ignorance" and "heartlessness". Tongue-in-cheek The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of

851-443: The balloons were for a television commercial. He purchased the lawn chair from Sears for $ 109. On July 2, 1982, Walters attached 42 of the balloons (although Larry himself sometimes quoted 43 in interviews) to his lawn chair, filled them with helium, put on a parachute , and strapped himself into the chair in the backyard of a home at 1633 West 7th Street in San Pedro owned by his girlfriend Carol's mother. He took his pellet gun,

888-422: The clear blue sky in a weather balloon […] By the grace of God, I fulfilled my dream. But I wouldn't do this again for anything. The aircraft was dubbed Inspiration I . Lawn Chair Larry was awarded the title of "At-Risk Survivor" in the 1993 Darwin Awards . Ten days after his flight, Walters appeared on Late Night with David Letterman . He was briefly in demand as a motivational speaker , and quit his job as

925-449: The core. You should remove this." Northcutt demurred: "I can't. It's just too stupid." Northcutt kept the stories on the website and in her books, citing them as a "funny-but-true safety guide", and mentioning that children who read the book are going to be much more careful around explosives. The website also awards Honorable Mentions to individuals who survive their misadventures with their reproductive capacity intact. One example of this

962-403: The following "deserted island" test to potential winners: If the person were unable to reproduce when stranded on a deserted island with a fertile member of the opposite sex, he or she would be considered sterile. Winners of the award, in general, either are dead or have become unable to use their sexual organs . The candidate's foolishness must be unique and sensational, likely because the award

999-537: The heart in Angeles National Forest . In 1937, Al Mingalone, an American photographer for Paramount News previously used 32 weather balloons for a feature photography assignment at Old Orchard Beach in Maine. While he hung suspended from the balloons by a parachute harness in order to take aerial film footage, Mingalone's mooring rope broke and he was lifted approximately 700 feet (210 m) into

1036-694: The home of footballer Duncan Ferguson (who had an infamous reputation for physical aggression on and off the pitch, including four convictions for assault and who had served six months in Glasgow's Barlinnie Prison ) in 2001, with one burglar requiring three days' hospitalisation after being confronted by the player. A 2014 study published in the British Medical Journal found that between 1995 and 2014, males represented 88.7% of Darwin Award winners (see figure). The comedy film The Darwin Awards (2006), written and directed by Finn Taylor ,

1073-517: The phrase include Sir Walter Scott in his 1828 The Fair Maid of Perth . The physical act of putting one's tongue into one's cheek once signified contempt . For example, in Tobias Smollett 's The Adventures of Roderick Random , which was published in 1748, the eponymous hero takes a coach to Bath and on the way apprehends a highwayman . This provokes an altercation with a less brave passenger: He looked back and pronounced with

1110-402: The site notes: "Of necessity, the award is usually bestowed posthumously." The candidate is disqualified, though, if "innocent bystanders" are killed in the process, as they might have contributed positively to the gene pool. The logical problem presented by award winners who may have already reproduced is not addressed in the selection process owing to the difficulty of ascertaining whether or not

1147-593: The time was a graduate in molecular biology from the University of California, Berkeley . She went on to study neurobiology at Stanford University , doing research on cancer and telomerase . In her spare time, she organised chain letters from family members into the original Darwin Awards website hosted in her personal account space at Stanford. She eventually left the bench in 1998 and devoted herself full-time to her website and books in September 1999. By 2002,

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1184-483: The tremendous value of these stories as entertainment, it is unlikely that they represent evolution in action", citing the nonexistence of "judgment impairment genes". On an essay in the book The Evolution of Evil , professor Nathan Hallanger acknowledges that the Darwin Awards are meant as black humor , but associates them with the eugenics movement of the early 20th century. University of Oxford biophysicist Sylvia McLain, writing for The Guardian , says that while

1221-463: The website received 7 million page hits per month. Northcutt encountered some difficulty in publishing the first book, since most publishers would only offer her a deal if she agreed to remove the stories from the Internet, but she refused: "It was a community! I could not do that. Even though it might have cost me a lot of money, I kept saying no." She eventually found a publisher who agreed to print

1258-484: Was based on the website and many of the Darwin Awards stories. Northcutt has stated five requirements for a Darwin Award: This may be subject to dispute. Potential awardees may be out of the gene pool because of age; others have already reproduced before their deaths. To avoid debates about the possibility of in vitro fertilization , artificial insemination , or cloning , the original Darwin Awards book applied

1295-415: Was in contact with REACT , a citizens band radio monitoring organization, who recorded their conversation: After 45 minutes in the sky, Walters shot several balloons with a pellet gun, taking care not to unbalance the load. He then accidentally dropped his pellet gun overboard. Despite having taken a camera, he did not take any photos. He descended slowly, until the balloons' dangling cables became caught in

1332-500: Was later determined to be an urban legend by the Arizona Department of Public Safety . Wendy Northcutt says the official Darwin Awards website run by Northcutt does its best to confirm all stories submitted, listing them as, "confirmed true by Darwin". Many of the viral emails circulating the Internet, however, are hoaxes and urban legends. The website and collection of books were started in 1993 by Wendy Northcutt, who at

1369-470: Was to float over the Mojave Desert and then use a pellet gun to burst some of the balloons in order to descend safely. In mid-1982, Walters and his then girlfriend, Carol Van Deusen, purchased 45 eight-foot (2.4 m) weather balloons from a military surplus store and helium tanks from California Toy Time Balloons. They used a forged requisition from his employer, FilmFair Studios , saying

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