The Darwin Awards: Evolution in Action

Darwin Awards #1

by Wendy Northcutt

"Only two things are infinite-the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not so sure about the universe." -Albert Einstein

Named in honor of Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, The Darwin Awards vividly portrays the finest examples of evolution in action, and shows us just how uncommon common sense can be.

Marvel at the thief who steals electrical wires without shutting off the current. Gape at the lawnchair jockey who floats to a height of 16,000 feet suspended by helium balloons. Learn from the man who peers into a gasoline can using a cigarette lighter. All three -- and many more -- contend for Darwin Awards when their choices culminate in magnificent misadventures.

These tales of trial and awe-inspiring error--verified by the author and endorsed by website readers--illustrate the ongoing saga of survival of the fittest in all its selective glory.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Comedy, Science, Short Stories, Reference, Audiobook

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Wendy Northcutt graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in molecular biology. She began collecting the stories that make up the Darwin Awards in 1993 and founded www.DarwinAwards.com shortly after.

Northcutt is the author of the international bestsellers The Darwin Awards: Evolution in Action, The Darwin Awards 2: Unnatural Selection, The Darwin Awards 3: Survival of the Fittest, and The Darwin Awards 4: Intelligent Design. Her newest addition to the series is The Darwin Awards: Next Evolution."

Reviews

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a HORRIBLE book.

Horrible in its attitude, that is. Actually, it is very cleverly written and readable.

The book narrates incidents where people die or lose their reproductive capability through stupid acts (the so-called "stupidity" is debatable in some cases, though)and thus contribute to the cause of evolution of a smarter homo sapiens by removing their "stupidity" genes from the gene pool. For this service, they are presented with a Darwin Award.

The website is immensely popular, and the book is supposed to be hilarious: but I failed to see how we can laugh at our fellow human beings snuffing themselves out, even if it is through their own foolish behaviour. As a Head of Safety, I can tell you that death is no laughing matter. Most industrial accidents happen through silly oversights, which would seem like stupidity in hindsight - but the chilling fact is that it can happen to any of us. A momentary lapse of concentration is enough. It is sad enough to think of a lifetime of sorrow engendered through a silly mistake - it is adding insult to injury to see someone making snide remarks and laughing snarkily at it.

Then why the two stars?

Even though I disapprove of the intent, the content of the book forces one to think. Life is so fragile ("like the dewdrop on a lotus leaf", to quote Sankaracharya), and a small misjudgement, laughable in its silliness, is enough to take it away. So this book was instructive in a sense; how we are still so innocent regarding safety, even in this so-called "enlightened" age.

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hilarious. I am now seriously wondering how the human race has managed to survive for as long as it has. Surely for each idiot mentioned in this book there are loads more just waiting to do something fatally stupid? And doesn't it seem that it's the stupid ones that breed more frequently than those who possess a brain?

Anyway, this book chronicles the bizarre ways in which people have 'improved our gene pool by removing themselves from it in an astonishingly stupid way'. Also eligible for a Darwin award are those who have successfully rendered themselves unable to reproduce by doing something equally stupid.

Some of the stories are not for the faint-hearted, but most of them are hilarious to the point that I got some funny looks from people around me because I was laughing out loud. Straight into my list of favourites.

[Emily Coffee and Commentary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember taking turns reading these stories out loud with friends in middle school. For anyone that has a morbid curiosity or a sense of humor heavy with schadenfreude then this may be an interesting read for you.

[Alex Segal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Darwin Awards: Evolution in Action is by far one of the funniest books I have ever read. The book has no real linear story but it is extremely funny and says a lot about the world we live in and the people who are in it. The book can generally be called tongue and cheek, but I think that the thought behind the concept deserves explanation.
Named after Charles Darwin, the father of evolution and the theory of natural selection this book uses his ideas to critique the stupidity of humanity. The basic idea behind The Darwin Awards: Evolution in Action is that, for each person who meets their death in a stupid and hilarious way, an award is given to them as a thank you for removing themselves from the gene pool. By rewarding people for being “removed” by natural selection the book, right from the beginning, takes on a dark type of humor that I have always loved.
The book started as an online conversation using the network “Usenet”, created in the 80’s by Duke Grad students. From here stories were collected using the Internet community and news reports to gather a history of human mistakes. Instead of getting old or predictable, the book made me laugh over and over and over by continually presenting more and more unbelievable acts of ignorance and hilarity.
Some examples of the type of stories in the book are a man playing Russian roulette with an automatic pistol (which reloads on its own), and a man juggling hand grenades (live ones). The book is fair though and has requirements for the type of submissions they accept. The nominee must be dead or sterile (so that they are removed from the gene pool), they must be “uniquely foolish”, victims of their own stupidity, and above 18.
The Darwin awards is a great book because it give me a sense of the people who I share the world with and answers a lot of the what-ifs raised in my head when my mother told me to be cautious. It is a good collection of things not to do and a better collection of things that will make you laugh till it hurts.

[Dave Leichter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good bathroom book. Although entertaining, I found the book's self-righteous tone unnecessary. I am perfectly capable of finding entertainment in the misfortune of others, without having to be convinced that they were somehow deserving of their misfortunes.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, despite being about death and mutilation, is actually displaying a kind of up-beat hopefulness. It says, "Fear not, humans, for the stupid among you are killing themselves and therefore the smarter among you will breed and thus, humanity gets smarter!" Only, that's pretty much a lie. One needs only watch the first 5 minutes of Idiocracy to see why.

Here we have Trevor and Carol (IQs 138 and 141 respectively) vs Clevon (IQ 84). Carol and Trevor are waiting for the right time - in their marriage, in their careers, in the economy, etc - to bring a child into this world. By contrast, Clevon's only waiting for a willing sperm recipient to lift her skirt. And his kids, who have fallen down as close as possible to their father-tree, have the same hum-everything gene... and their kids, and so on. Like bunnies. If you know what I'm sayin'.


So, yeah. This book MEANS to make you feel all reassured that evolution has a betterment plan for us, meaning humanity, but human stupidity and ignorance is not a force to be trifled with. It may win out just from sheer weight of numbers.

There were some humorous accounts in this book, though most of them just left me baffled at how people can possibly be SO stupid. If you're working on the roof of your home, and you want to tether yourself to something so that you do not fall to the ground and injure yourself (admirable forethought!), then I fail to see the logic in attaching the other end of the rope to the bumper of a car that is on the ground. The bumper of a car. That can be driven. With you attached.

I mean, I know that this is The Darwin Awards, and it's a celebration of momentous and usually fatal stupidity, but... wow.

I did rather appreciate some of the intros to the different sections. There was some interesting stuff in there - as well as little tidbits strewn throughout the text regarding the debated veracity of some of the claims, or FYIs about the key facets of a claim, etc. Pretty nice of them to include that stuff. Though toward the end of the book, I did start seeing several typos and errors in the text.

I'm going to assume that working on this book actually reduced Ms. Northcutt's IQ points. It's the only thing that explains it.

Anyway, this was an OK read, but I didn't think that any of the stories were as humorous as some of the ones on the site. I got this book used for super cheap, so I don't feel like I wasted my money, but if you're interested, I'd suggest reading the site instead. Or, hell, if Idiocracy is right, just read the news.

[Connie D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous if you are in that sort of mood. Mean spirited if you are not.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find myself amazed by the sheer stupidity of some folks.

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Darwin Awards: Evolution in Action (Darwin Awards #1) by Wendy Northcutt (Plume 2000) (304.64+/-). Darwin Awards are given to those who render the greatest service to mankind by "naturally selecting" themselves out of the gene pool through some monumental ineptness or miscalculation (i.e., the guy who shoots himself fatally by hitting a bullet with a hammer "...to see what would happen"). This is a new collection of stories of jaw-droppingly stupid behavior by people who are now dead as a result. My rating: 7.5/10, finished 2001.

[Re-read 10/14/25 -The Darwin Awards: Evolution in Action (Darwin Awards #1) by Wendy Northcutt (Plume 2000) (304.64+/-). I’ve loved the Darwin Awards book series since I read the first one 24 years ago. I’m revisiting the “best of” the books I’ve read and reviewed (those that I deemed exceptional and were assigned a rating of 7.25/10 or better), and this was one of the first I re-read.

If anything, these stories strike me as even funnier this time around, but I’m satisfied with my original rating.

I purchased a HB copy in brand-new condition from McKay’s Books 12/01/2005.

My rating: 7.5/10, finished re-reading 10/14/25 (4093). (I assigned the number 4093 to this book in 2025, for I had not assigned it a number when I originally read it in 2001).

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Brandon Sawyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is what it is. If you know the website, then this is that. In book form. Which is much easier for toilet reading (for some reason, people still look at you funny if you bring a wifi connected laptop into the crapper).

[Rick Slane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stupid things people do to get themselves maimed or killed.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know those days.

You head off chipper to work only to have your spirit crushed by the struggle to learn new computer software. Meanwhile, a coworker, the office suck-up, spent his weekend reading the entire help section and proceeds to show off his tech prowess to the boss.

Needing a pick-me-up after a hellish day, you swing by the grocery store on the way home to invest your life savings in a tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. However, you only manage to increase your level of frustration by fighting with the cashier because... you can't count change.

Instead of drowning your sorrow with chocolate chip cookie dough, I suggest picking up "The Darwin Awards," a sure-fire recipe to chase away the dark cloud hanging over your head. Because as dumb and as defeated as you feel right now, this collection of stupid criminal and unskilled adventurer stories will prove you're still a valuable member of the gene pool.

Take Ronnie and Steve, for example. The bored teens decided to sail an old hot tub across a canal one day. Their makeshift sailboat couldn't handle the weight of two strapping boys, of course, so it started to sink only a quarter of the way across the canal. They decided to remove the water overtaking the tub by -- wait for it -- pulling out the drain plug. Needless to say, the pair of defeated sailors had to be rescued from the canal.

See? Doesn't that already warm the darkened embers of your heart?

If you're in need of such a pick-me-up, Wendy Northcutt's "The Darwin Awards," based on the popular online forum of the same name, is the perfect remedy. Don't expect to walk away with the wisdom of the ages, but you'll learn a few valuable lessons: stay clear of poisonous snakes, avoid playing with fire, and above all, penises and vacuum cleaners don't mix.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The descriptions of the book and the opening vignettes of each chapter were varying levels of actually funny, but 90% of the stories themselves were just sad. I was expecting some light bathroom reading, but what I got were just some dry facts about stupid mistakes ending predictably horribly peppered with the occasional clever turn of phrase.

[George Ilsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a book to pick up and read straight through, but one to pick at now and then for a momentary diversion.

It has taken me 7 years to read this book.

Truth is stranger than fiction, they say, and if the entries here were not labeled as "Confirmed by Darwin" or as "Urban Legends" one would not be able to tell which was what.

[Vaishali · Rating 1 out of 5]

I lost interest in this book because the premise of willing people's deaths is simply deplorable. While the rest of humanity works toward a more compassionate society, this book makes an attempt at reviving a humor more prevalent in the 6th grade. You actually have to read it by telling yourself to forgo some morals ... which then brings to question if the author had any at all.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious collection of accidents leading to deaths. (I know, not funny but still . .) The judges take their selections very seriously and have a rigorous process to include entries. They believe the finalists are contributing to the survival of the fittest theory by eliminating themselves from the gene pool. Bet you can't help but laugh.

[Greg Meyer · Rating 1 out of 5]

These books are kinda horrifying. They portray these people's deaths as a funny anecdote. This is a portrayal of how our society has become desensitized to the point of not even caring about death except as a casually funny story.

[``Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mean spirited but guilty pleasure book. Some of these "accidents" are absolutely mind-boggling. Snark galore in this series if you are looking for a few laughs.

[Vivone Os · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Club - travanj 2019.
Ne mogu reći da sam nešto oduševljena ovom knjigom. Većinom sam u nevjerici čitala i razmišljala kakvih sve budala ima na ovom svijetu. Al opet, ok je i tako nešto pročitati s vremena na vrijeme da se utješim kako nisam najsmotanije biće na planetu.

[Dane Cobain · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I feel like I need to explain what the Darwin Awards actually are in case you somehow haven’t heard of them. The idea of a Darwin Award is that it’s a posthumous accolade that’s given to people who have removed themselves from the gene pool – therefore acting as examples of the theory of evolution and natural selection in action – by dying in unusual or idiotic ways.

And thus the Darwin Awards were born, and whilst it originally built up momentum as a mailing list at Stanford University, it moved on to becoming a fully fledged website soon afterwards. In fact, it was one of the earliest examples of a viral website on the internet, which is why I get annoyed when people haven’t heard of it – it’s like they missed out on a geeky bit of history.

This book was written by the woman who launched the site, and it gathers together “180 bizarre true stories of how humans met their maker”. Now, it did admittedly feel a little dated, because it was published in 2000 and because each of the entries had their date listed, but it wasn’t so dated that it was inaccessible.

In fact, it was pretty well done, and I’m impressed that there’s a book this old that was created due to an internet phenomenon – it must be one of the first books of its kind. My only problem with it is that it actually started to get depressing – after all, you’re reading about the deaths of real people. It’s entertaining, but also sad to think that people have lost their loved ones.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very entertaining, but gruesome too. People are stupid and stupid people die in stupid ways, most likely because they did something stupid.

My absolute favorite story is on page 222. The one where the couple have sex on a mountain and get hit by lighting (through the ass).
The girl is killed and the condom fuses the flesh of the two together, Ouch! The male throws up when he realizes he is stuck to a dead body by his penis. Then he passes out. He is rudely awakened by a bear eating the face of his girlfriend, then the bear bites his head and he struggles to fight the bear off, while being naked and stuck by his penis to his dead girlfriend.

The bear goes away and the male drags himself and his unwanted cargo to the side of a road and collapses.

The duo are discovered the next morning by a camp of Girl guides. Surprise!

When his penis is finally un-fused to his girlfriend, witnesses said it resembled a piece of cauliflower.
His gene pool fried up with the lightning.

Hilarious camp stories for sure.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love these Darwin Awards books. They're great to read when you have other things going on because each story is so short. I can literally pick this up when I have 30 free seconds and get a laugh. Many of them I read out loud to my husband as well. My 10 and 8 year olds also enjoy them, although the 8 year old misses a lot of references. A warning: I did wind up having to explain, "Mom, what's S&M sex?" to the 10 year old. Oh well, gotta explain it sometime... At least the guy it referred to was a moron, so I liked the context. :)

[Jeff Guertin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always been a fan of reading about Darwin Awards online, so I was excited for this book. The stories were good, but I was disappointed in the amount of "unconfirmed" and "urban legends" that were presented. I would much rather read a book full of stories that were actually confirmed via news/police reports, etc. I hope the subsequent versions of the Darwin Awards have more confirmed stories.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of my coffee table books. (I am grossed out by the whole bathroom book idea.) It's fun for guests to scan through or fidget with when they come over. Compared to other books I have put out this book was the most popular with my company. Everybody couldn't resist picking it up and reading at least one story from it. It started many light conversations and helped break the ice.

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find this sort of thing vastly amusing in tiny little doses. Try to read too much at once and you'll despair for humanity.

[Amy (DemonKittie) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty hilarious. I loved reading about the stupid ways people can die.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm disturbed that I had a few laughs while reading this book. I mean these people DIED! But I just couldn't help it. Some folks are just not meant to continue populating their gene pools.

[Iris Kerns]

~dnf at 3/4~

(was not in the mood to learn the many ways men have rendered themselves infertile)

full to the brim with tragic happenings..

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are at all familiar with the Darwin Awards are, you already know what this is about. If you don't, well - let's say that some humans are climbing back down the evolutionary tree.

Some are the tales are actually Darwin award winners who have managed to either kill themselves in an innovative manner or sterilized themselves so that their genes are now removed from the pool. The story has been verified through reporting by reputable media outlets. The unconfirmed Darwin tales which could be urban legends - the editors do note could not be credibly confirmed as well as which ones are urban legends and provide some explanation behind their reasoning. Honorable mentions which are usually due to the individual surviving their idiotic antics but display the spirit of the Darwin awards. And then there are the personal stories. Not, this happened to a friend of my brother sort-of reporting. This happened to the teller (and they admit it)or they saw the happenstance themselves.

I've heard many of them over the years so I'm certain you've heard several as well. The fisherman who uses a stick of dynamite to stun the fish and having tossed it out into the lake, watches with horror as his retriever does his genetic imperative and brings it back. The man who attaches a mass of helium balloons to his backyard lounge chair and then has to figure out how to get down! The terrorist driving a car bomb to his destination but fails to take into consideration the difference of Daylight Savings Time verses Standard Time and had set the timer for the wrong - for him - one. The man who uses a cigarette lighter to check the barrel of a muzzle-loader and the patient who sneaks a cigarette while in a hospital oxygen tent.

Some are amusing, most will have one wonder how they had managed to live as long as long as they did. Certainly, this is not a book that you can read front to back in one or a few gulps. The idiocy just gets to the point where I had to put it down and read something a bit less - - foolhardy, reckless, silly - - pick the adverb of your choice.

Northcott has collected more stories in several more sequels so in time, I will likely see what other stupid human tricks have managed to chlorinate the gene pool.

2021-190

[Amy Hanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m not going to finish this book. It was lame. I thought it’d be funny, but it was just lame