Michelle Obama taking three tries to break a champagne bottle on the nose of a submarine is charming and weirdly mesmerizing. But she isn’t the first First Lady to struggle a little with the old christening rigamarole. For instance, watch Bess Truman just hammering away at this ambulance plane.
A commenter pointed out this video of Mrs. Truman. Apparently nobody prepped the bottle—they’re supposed to etch the glass so it breaks easier. Be sure to listen with the sound on, so you can hear the “THONK, THONK, THONK” noise as the First Lady attempts, unsuccessfully, to break that bottle. Let the record reflect that she gave it her utmost, but eventually, somebody had to get a hammer.
