![]() ![]() He attempted and succeeded in hundreds of dangerous routines that have set a nearly unachievable standard for magicians today. While many call Houdini a magician, he preferred to call himself a performer. The illusionist performed on October 24, despite being told by a doctor he could have appendicitis and was hospitalized immediately after the show. That night, Houdini began to speak of stomach cramps. He was sitting on a couch because of his broken ankle when five blows were delivered to his abdomen. ![]() He finished the show with a broken ankle.Īt a show in Montreal on October 22 1926, he agreed to be punched in the gut multiple times when a student asked if he could resist the pain. During a show on October 11, 1926, Houdini was hit by a piece of equipment while being restrained in his Chinese Water Torture Cell. It's believed his death may have been sparked by a series of events beginning on October 11, 1926, The History Channel claimed. Houdini's death may not have been so sudden, though the illness that plagued him hit quickly. It noted he was a man who "so often had seemed to thousands to be cheating the very jaws of death." An obituary published in the New York Times spoke for America in the wording of Houdini's death-defying greatness. When Houdini died, the country was shocked. He didn’t seek medical attention for days, leading to his death.Magician Harry Houdini's gravesite is pictured 23 March, 2007, in the Queens borough of New York. Houdini obliged, but it would be his last stunt. ![]() Known for having a high pain tolerance, a fan asked to punch Houdini as hard as he could in the stomach. Though Houdini defied death countless times, putting himself into all sorts of danger, the magician died of appendicitis. For public displays, Houdini would be hoisted high into the air wearing a straitjacket, and escape unharmed before crowds of onlookers. Though Houdini’s brother kept the cell intact, it was eventually burned in 1995 during a museum fire.Īnother stunt involved Houdini being locked inside a water-filled milk can, escaping while behind a curtain. He escaped the cell in minutes, though one time he broke his ankle.Ī Houdini trademark, he asked that the water prison be burned upon his death. In 1912, he was secured by his feet upside down and dunked in a watertight chamber. To add danger to his performances, he began having himself submerged in water while he escaped. Speed increasingly became a cornerstone of Houdini’s repertoire. One firm spent five years designing a pair, certain they would claim the prize, but Houdini escaped in minutes, tarnishing their years of work. He found the task so easy that he challenged anyone in the world to make a pair of handcuffs that could hold him. Many times he would challenge the police to lock him up however they could on the street, then he’d jump in a nearby river and emerge totally free. Houdini’s signature stunt was escaping handcuffs. When he burst from his coffin minutes later he would regurgitate the needles, threaded with the cotton! No Handcuffs Could Hold Him In one trick, he swallowed needles and thread and then had himself buried alive on stage. He became obsessed with tricks, performing them in both closed theaters and as open publicity stunts. Known to shrug off straitjackets, slip out of handcuffs, and wriggle out of ropes, Houdini began his journey of facing mortal danger head-on while wondering how he could make the task harder.Īs Houdini’s name and prowess grew, so too did his arsenal of illusions. ![]() Houdini may not have had the card skills to impress fellow tradesmen, but his talent for escape seemed unparalleled. Known as the “King of Cards” for a short while, fellow magicians saw Houdini as a man with some skill, but nothing that truly impressed them. A child immigrant from Hungary, the man who would become known as Harry Houdini got his start in the entertainment world in 1891 traveling with a circus of strongmen. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |