Sometimes we nearly choke on food. It may be because we were laughing, inhaling, or it simply went down the wrong pipe. A few of you unfortunate people may have actually choked on food! At least it’s a good thing you survived, though…

According to statista.com, in 2002, 4,128 people died from choking. That number could’ve been 4,129, with the extra being a rather high-ranking government official…and it was all from a single pretzel.

On January 13, 2002, President George W. Bush was maxin’ and relaxin’ watching the Ravens and the Dolphins beat each other (in football, just so you know). He was alone, except for his two dogs, Barney and Spot, for bad reasons I’ll state later. He decided to eat a bag of pretzels while watching the game. From the words I used above, you can probably tell what happened next…

One pretzel went down the wrong pipe, and he choked on it. The reason why it was bad was because it was only he and his dogs in the White House, which meant there were no Secret Service to save him from the pretzel. He fainted and hit the floor, and fortunately, he woke up a few seconds later, with Barney and Spot looking at him strangely. Richard Tubb, the president’s physician, concluded that his heart rate slowed down after swallowing a pretzel. He sustained a bruised lower lip and a bruise on his left cheek, but was in working order afterwards. He said of the incident, “When you’re eating pretzels, chew before you swallow. Listen to your mother.”

That is a pretty good lesson to learn. Possibly the best one out there. So next time you’re at an Auntie Ann’s or whatever your main pretzel source is, remember this story. And remember to first stay in shock that that ACTUALLY happened, but then remember to spare your disbelief. (get it? cause it’s the name of the blog!)