The Darwin Awards commemorate those who yield to natural selection and "remove" themselves from the gene pool, ensuring that the next generation is fathered by one less idiot unless they were idiotic enough to father a child before they eradicated themselves. (Funny how we assume Darwin candidates are male, or is it a fact?) What a great concept. In that tradition, I propose "The worst ideas in the world award" which could suitably be named "The Midgley Awards". Thomas Midgley Jr . came up with some truly bad ideas. He was an engineer and chemist by trade, doing his "best" work from the 1920's. Thomas Midgley managed to severely damage the environment by synthesizing chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) and also came up with the idea of adding TEL (lead) to petrol, killing people and the environment with spectacular success. He is the perfect poster boy for this award, as he also qualifies for a Darwin Award. After contracting polio, probably...