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It wasn’t until he asserted to a police officer that he would be able to escape from their handcuffs (and subsequently performed the feat) that he began to attract media attention. He began primarily with card tricks, and called himself the “King of Cards” at that time. Houdini the Magician and Escape ArtistĪs a magician, Harry got off to a rough start and struggled to make a living for himself and wife Bess. The name Harry might have likewise been tribute to Harry Keller, though it likely simply adapted from the short name for Ehrich, Ehri. He would continue practicing boxing, Jiu Jitsu and other sports into his adulthood.Įhrich would also discover his passion for magic in his youth and adopted the last name Houdini as an homage to his then-idol Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (who he later would become highly critical of). He then went by the stage name of “Ehrich the Prince of Air.” He would continue practicing boxing, Jiu Jitsu and other sports into his adulthood. Houdini arrived with his family in the US in 1829 and took on the name German version of the name Ehrich Weiss.Įhrich was a keen athlete in his youth a successful cross country runner, a boxer, a gymnast, and even taking on a job as a trapeze artist at the age of just 9. One of his brothers, Theodor, would also go on to perform his own escape acts. Harry Houdini was born Erik Weisz in Budapest 1874, and was one of seven children. And in this post, we will take a look at Houdini’s training, his lessons, and his life story. In some ways he had more in common with the strongmen of his day: The Mighty Atom and muscle control maestro Maxick. Moreover, many of Houdini’s best acts had little to do with illusion or misdirection and much more to do with an incredible command over his own body and mind. In fact, Harry can be considered a polymath having also been a prolific writer, Hollywood actor, aviator, and inventor of at least one patented invention (a specialised diving suit). Houdini assisted with the American war effort during WWI.Harry Houdini is widely regarded as one of the greatest magicians, escape artists, and showmen of all time.
WHEN DID HARRY HOUDINI DIE SERIES
In 2010, Houdini and Defries were both honored in a series of stamps commemorating the centennial of powered flight in Australia. The Aerial League of Australia certified Houdini’s display as the country’s first powered and controlled flight, but some historians have since argued that the record actually belongs to Colin Defries, an Englishman who had made a brief flight a few months earlier. The magician crashed during his maiden flight in Germany, but he continued practicing and eventually set his sights on becoming the first man to pilot an airplane in Australia.ĭuring a tour Down Under in March 1910, Houdini hopped behind the controls of his Voisin and made three successful flights near Melbourne, each only a couple of minutes long. Was Commodus the Worst Emperor in Ancient Roman History?Īfter developing a passion for aviation while in Europe in 1909, Houdini bought a French-made Voisin biplane and became one of the world’s first private pilots.
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