Charles Darwin at a green chalkboard.

2000 Darwin Awards

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Honoring Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool--by removing themselves from it in the most spectacular way possible.

Duct Tape
2000 Darwin Award Winner
Confirmed True by Darwin

(24 April 2000, Oregon) A misplaced faith in the miracle of duct tape led to the demise of a man boating on the Columbia River on Monday evening.

Duct tape has a reputation for fixing any problem. Steven and a friend were fishing in a 12-foot aluminum boat held together with multiple duct tape repairs, including the motor mount. Suddenly they encountered rough water and Steven stood up in the boat.

The vessel, rated to hold 200 pounds, capsized and tossed the two men and their 640 pounds of equipment into the water.

The US Coast Guard rescued the surviving companion on Tuesday morning, but Steven was not so lucky. He was found dead in an ill-fitting life jacket. Perhaps if he had duct taped it in place, he would still be sailing the river in his rickety dinghy, instead of holding a Darwin Award.

DarwinAwards.com © 1994 - 2022
Submitted by: David Nelson
Reference: Liz Wood, Staff Writer, and KOIN 6 News

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Comment from a reader: "I knew Stephen through my job as a social worker with the county. Steve was an individual with borderline mental retardation, and multiple mental health diagnosis. This makes it an ugly story."

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