In 1843, while performing a conjuring trick for the amusement of his children, Brunel accidentally inhaled a half-sovereign coin, which became lodged in his windpipe. A special pair of forceps failed to remove it, as did a machine devised by Brunel himself to shake it loose.
Half-sovereign coins are listed as being 19.30 mm in diameter, which is roughly 3/4 of an inch. Clearly, Brunel was so tough he could snort coin of the Realm like they were cocaine.
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EDIT: From the Wikipedia entry on Brunel
In 1843, while performing a conjuring trick for the amusement of his children, Brunel accidentally inhaled a half-sovereign coin, which became lodged in his windpipe. A special pair of forceps failed to remove it, as did a machine devised by Brunel himself to shake it loose.
Half-sovereign coins are listed as being 19.30 mm in diameter, which is roughly 3/4 of an inch. Clearly, Brunel was so tough he could snort coin of the Realm like they were cocaine.