Something interesting I just discovered.
"Why is a Victorian carriage door prominently displayed on a wall at Hughenden, the country home of Queen Victoria’s friend and Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli? The Prime Minister himself removed it from the carriage and preserved it as a tribute to his wife, Mary Anne. One evening the ambitious politician and his doting wife set off from his London house to Parliament, where he was to deliver a very important speech. When the carriage door was closed, it slammed shut on Mary Anne’s thumb. What did she do? She suffered in silence, all the way to Westminster. She didn’t want to upset the man before his speech. A placard next to the carriage door explains that Mary Anne said not a word until Disraeli was safely out of the carriage and on his way into the corridors of power. The placard remarks drily that her words when her thumb was released were not recorded."
[source]
Sounds familiar, no? I a quick Google search found two versions of a similar story starring R' Moshe Feinstein that's popular in the frum world.
"On another occasion a talmid of Reb Moshe took him home in his car. He opened the door of the passenger seat and Reb Moshe got out, whereupon the talmid slammed the door on his hand. The pain was unbearable, but Reb Moshe contained himself with superhuman control in order not to alert the talmid, who would surely be mortified by his mistake." [source]
"When Reb Moshe Feinstein ztl. was asked why he felt he had merited a long life he is reputed to have answered, “I tried never to hurt another person.” It may sound like a light and maybe even a trite matter, that is, until we factor in the following story which is recorded in his biography: The elder Reb Moshe was getting into a car in front of the Yeshiva surrounded by students. When he was seated, the car door was closed and the driver pulled away from the curb. After driving a few blocks away, Reb Moshe asked the driver if he would not mind pulling off to the side of the road. When the driver stopped the car Reb Moshe opened the door and removed his frail hand from where the door had just been slammed on his aged fingers. The driver was mortified and asked Reb Moshe why he did not say something way back there when the door was closed. Reb Moshe told the driver that he did not want to say anything immediately because it would have caused a terrible upset to the young man that closed the door. He would never have forgiven himself. So Reb Moshe remained silent till the car had traveled a safe distance away." [source]
Similar incidents can happen, of course. What's interesting is that the story about Mrs. Disraeli is specific about the people involved and where they were going, while the versions about R' Feinstein have the vague qualities of an urban legend, (and disagree with each other). The Disraeli's story is also earlier.
