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This stuntman of the last century received the legendary title of magician and sorcerer. People who watched his tricks began to believe in miracles. He was a genius in his field.
Illusionist Harry Houdini
On March 24, 1874, Eric Weiss, the future great magician, was born in Budapest. This was the rabbi’s family. When Eric was 4 years old, his parents emigrated in America.
Later, the great magician claimed that he was from America. But there are documents confirming his real homeland. They chose the state of Wisconsin for residence, where my father received the position of rabbi in a reformist synagogue.
They had a fairly large family: six more brothers and sisters. 9 years later, when Eri (as his friends called him) turned 13, he and his father moved to develop a new place of residence – New York. Very soon, the whole family moved to them. Since childhood, Eri spoke 3 languages fluently: German, Hungarian, Yiddish.
Starting at the age of ten, he performed magic tricks in public places using maps. At the age of 18, he invented a pseudonym for himself, under which the whole world knows him – Houdini. This surname was not chosen by chance. In honor of a French magician whose surname had a similar pronunciation. Harry’s name was added later.
Life in New York was not sweet. The father died early, leaving numerous offspring. I had to work to feed myself and help my mother feed her family.
The guy worked as an assistant to a blacksmith, helped repair locks in a shop. He worked as an acrobat in a circus and, of course, was engaged in his favorite hobby – magic tricks. The family did not live well, and it was an unaffordable luxury to educate children, the mother taught the children to read and write.
Houdini’s tricks
Harry had already managed to win the attention of the public by showing tricks at the age of ten. He performed with his brother in an ensemble they organized called The Houdini Brothers. Their performances were successful, and their earnings allowed them to feed the whole family.
The boys gave concerts around the city and its environs. Having matured a little, they began to travel to nearby towns. The whole city was hung with their posters.
The young sorcerer wanted to amaze and surprise the audience more and more. His head was constantly occupied with one thought – how to come up with new, interesting tricks.
At one of the concerts, an entertaining incident occurred on the stage. It was the beginning of the appearance on the big stage. One day, during a magic show in a small town, a local policeman mistook the illusionist for a wanted thief.
During the concert, a policeman came to the stage and handcuffed the magician. Less than 5 minutes later, the handcuffs were removed! The surprised law enforcement officer apologized to the illusionist.
Soon, this handcuffed trick became the main number in the show of magic tricks. I must say that many magicians showed a similar number, but Harry practiced it with the audience’s handcuffs.
Once the performance of the illusionist interested Martin Beck. Martin served as an entertainment manager in 1899. Travels to various cities in Europe soon began.
The local police also took part in the show, with their help they put handcuffs on the illusionist. Then they shut him up in prison, but he was freed from everywhere. The magician soon became the highest paid artist on American shows.
Houdini with mother Cecilia Steiner and wife Bess (Elizabeth) in 1907
With age, Harry’s tricks became more difficult. Several times he even ended up in the hospital after them. In 1910 he began acting in films. The famous magician received fabulous money! It was rumored that in the 20s, he received almost twice the president’s salary.
Harry Houdini’s cause of death
As a fabulously wealthy man, Harry kept counting every cent. He was afraid to die in poverty, like his father. However, he donated huge sums of money to the elderly, beggars, disadvantaged and orphanages. He was married to Bess Houdini.
The death of the great magician and magician came unexpectedly. He was perfectly healthy. But one day, students came into his dressing room, one of whom was a boxer. The guys asked the magician if he really can withstand punches in the stomach and does not feel pain at the same time. He nodded mechanically, and punches to the stomach followed.
It all happened unexpectedly, he barely had time to stop the guys. As a result of these blows, his appendicitis ruptured and peritonitis began. Medicine at that time was far from modern.
Houdini died of advanced peritonitis on October 31, 1926 in Detroit, Michigan, America. He was 52 years old.
The growth of the magician is 1,68 m. The sign of the zodiac is Aries.
Harry Houdini: biography (video)
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