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Loose shoelace saved Humperdinck’s life in 1954 army service

By Drooid · Sep 20, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Engelbert Humperdinck says a loose shoelace saved his life during 1954 army service.
He enlisted at 18, tied his bootlace before roll call, and was posted to Germany.
He missed a Cyprus posting by one rank spot, and the unit later was ambushed en route to Nicosia.
His biography reports over 140 million records sold, four Grammy nominations, a Golden Globe, and a 2017 50-year music milestone.

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Story summary

Engelbert Humperdinck says a loose shoelace saved his life during 1954 army service.
He enlisted at 18, tied his bootlace before roll call, and was posted to Germany.
He missed a Cyprus posting by one rank spot, and the unit later was ambushed en route to Nicosia.
His biography reports over 140 million records sold, four Grammy nominations, a Golden Globe, and a 2017 50-year music milestone.