5 highly educated men who died so ridiculously because of stupidity that they won a Darwin Award (6 photos)

In the realm of human folly and misadventure, the Darwin Award is a testament to the bizarre, absurd and ultimately fatal actions of people who, in pursuit of dubious goals, have inadvertently excluded themselves from the human gene pool.





Potential candidate for the Darwin Award (his future fate is shrouded in mystery)

These stories highlight the unpredictability of life and the sometimes fatal consequences when seemingly bright minds (those who have achieved success in life) do inexplicably stupid things.

1. Fearless Director



The 50-year-old principal of Summit College in Johannesburg and a respected lecturer at geography conferences, was a man with several degrees and a keen understanding of life safety.

Since Michael was able to live for so many years and held a prestigious position, then to many young people this man might seem like an ideal role model. But it was not there...

During a trip to the bridge to Victoria Falls, where there is a breathtaking view of the 80-meter abyss, Michael decided to take some photos of his girlfriend. However, during a photo shoot, his glasses accidentally fell out of his jacket and got caught on the edge of the bridge. Without glasses, Michael could not continue to rest comfortably, so he decided to show off in front of his girlfriend, climbed over the fence to the edge of the bridge and reached for his glasses.

What he didn't know was that the continuous spray from the huge waterfall made the rocks and vegetation along the edge of the bridge slippery, like a water park slide.

Soon he fell and flew down along with his glasses. And for his action he was posthumously awarded the Darwin Award.

2. Illiterate lawyer





In 2003, John Smith, a top Los Angeles lawyer with two degrees, was pulling leaves from his swimming pool when he noticed a dangling palm frond stuck between power lines.

His education gave John enough knowledge to become a successful lawyer. And yet he was not smart enough not to understand the simplest truth, known to any student who attended physics classes: that shoving a long metal pole into a power line to knock down a palm frond is a very bad idea!

Guess three times what happened to this person next.

Because of such a stupid act, he was posthumously awarded the Darwin Award.

3. Crazy politician



Politics can be a cutthroat business, and it is well known that candidates will often go to great lengths to ensure victory. But one of the craziest political stunts came in the 1980s, when Japanese politician Nitaro Ito, vying for a seat in the Japanese House of Representatives, came up with a workable plan to win over voters while discrediting his rivals.

He staged a fake attack on himself by stabbing himself in the leg, hoping to spark conspiracy theories in the press suggesting his rivals were responsible.

Unfortunately, Ito, during an attack committed by himself, hit himself in an artery, which very quickly led to his death, the doctors did not even have time to provide him with first aid. And his entire action was caught on a CCTV camera.

This amazing story shows the extremes to which some people will go for political gain.

4. Responsible insurance agent



In 2008, the chef of a 5-star hotel in Switzerland accidentally lost a finger in a meat grinder while preparing a dish and, after a long period of treatment, reported this case to his insurance company.

He demanded from the insurance company the monetary payments due to him, since for several years he had been paying huge amounts of money for insurance, which was supposed to cover him for various injuries and health problems.

But the insurance company did not want to part with its money so easily, so it sent one of its best agents with a higher legal education to personally inspect the scene and the ill-fated meat grinder.

The insurer chose to personally try out the meat grinder in order to convince his client that he would not be able to receive a cash payment, since there was no evidenceprominent facts that a person could unintentionally lose a finger with its help. However, when the insurance agent explained the details to the chef, he also accidentally lost a finger, but (alas) he was not so lucky, as he died from severe bleeding due to hemophilia.

Subsequently, the chef, without further ado, received the required cash payments from his insurance company, and the insurance agent was posthumously awarded the Darwin Award.

5. Hyperactive lawyer



Harry Hoy was a respected Toronto lawyer. In just a few years, he built a brilliant career and moved into his own fashionable office in the Toronto Dominion skyscraper with bulletproof windows.

However, the funny thing here is that Harry showed each new client his bulletproof windows in a rather unusual way: he ran and jumped out of the window, bouncing off it like a shadowy ball.

He seems to have pulled this trick so many times that in 1993, when students came to his office for an internship, Harry Hoy showed off his “unbreakable” windows for the last time. He (as always) jumped onto the windows with a running start, however, the window frame could not stand it and Harry, along with the bulletproof window, flew out from the 24th floor to the surprised cries of the students.

The glass fell to the ground, but (by the way) never broke. But Harry Hoy was less fortunate. But the funny thing is that, in addition to his legal education, in the past Harry Hoy was a professional engineer and builder.