When we think of great magicians, one artist in particular always comes to mind. Whether you are a great fan of magic or a true skeptic, Harry Houdini is without a doubt one of the greatest entertainers of any time.
Harry Houdini was born in Budapest, Hungary on March 24th, 1874. He was one of 7 children in his family. His parents migrated to the United States on July 3rd, 1878. Harry was 4 years old. They resided in Appleton, Wisconsin initially, but soon moved to the bustling New York City.
As a child, Harry had many jobs, and was also a champion cross country runner. This prepared him for the grueling physicality of his well known career. His first “magic” act began when he was 9 years old and started performing as a trapeze artist and called himself “The Prince of Air”.
When Houdini became an adult, initially his magic career resulted in little success. He mostly did sideshows, and dime museum performances. His main focus at this time was card tricks. He would bill himself as the “King of Cards”. Knowing this was not the success he wanted he began experimenting with escape acts, which he soon became famous for.
At first, Houdini performed with his brother, as “The Houdini Brothers”. But then he met and married Bess Rahner and she replaced his brother and the act became simply “The Houdinis”. She remained his assistant throughout his magic career.
Houdini’s big break came in 1899 when a manager from Woodstock, Illinois saw his handcuffs act, and was so impressed that he booked him on the Orpheum vaudeville circuit. Within months, he was performing at all the top vaudeville houses in the country. And soon began to tour Europe where he was a sensation.
More on Harry Houdini in the next post…
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