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Harry Houdini: Magicians
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It was the afternoon of October 26 when two students, who had heard Houdini give a lecture the week before, stopped by the magician’s dressing room before the evening show. Houdini was very courteous to the young men but was ... occupied with his mail. He wasn’t pay close attention when one of the boys asked if it was true that Houdini could withstand powerful blows to the stomach. He absently replied that he could as long as he had time to brace himself in anticipation of the punch. The boy, thinking that Houdini had given permission for just such a demonstration, suddenly leaned forward and struck him sharply in the abdomen with a clenched fist. When Houdini looked startled, the boy quickly backed away, explaining in a panic that he thought that Houdini had given him permission to hit him.
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At age 13, Houdini joined his parents in New York City, where they had moved to find a better way of life. Teenage Houdini continued to support the family, first as a messenger, and then as a garment cutter in a neighborhood sweat shop. In his spare time, the young boy began participating in athletics, winning awards in swimming and track and field competitions. He ... began performing magic as a young teen, calling himself "Eric, the Great." While reading an autobiography about famous magician, Robert-Houdin, the young boy was so in awe, he changed his name to Houdini, in honor of his mentor.
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(Houdini himself had purchased it.) Houdini worked hard to stay ahead of the pack. He began performing escapes from straitjackets, jails, coffins, handcuffs, and shackles (something that confines the arms or legs). At each performance he invited police officials onstage to examine him and his props to make sure they were real. Except, with his skill as a magician, he was still able to hide things. As Brandon wrote, "When he had to strip naked, he sometimes hid a small pick in the thick skin on the sole of a foot—not a spot that would ordinarily be searched." In 1908 Houdini began performing a trick in which he was locked inside a large iron milk can filled with water. He could escape within three minutes.
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Houdini's real name was Ehrich Weiss, he was born March 24, 1874 in Budapest Hungary. He loved magic and began performing for audiences during his boyhood. In his late teens he took on the name Harry Houdini, and became recognized all over the world as the finest magician and escape artist. This is his amazing story from being a poor boy to a famous magician.
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Bee Houdini continued to hold seances in hopes of communicating with her late husband, although the last “official” Houdini seance was held on Halloween night of 1936. A group of friends, fellow magicians and Bess Houdini herself gathered in Hollywood, on the roof of the Knickerbocker Hotel. They attempted to contact the elusive magician for over an hour before finally giving up. At the moment they did, a tremendously violent thunderstorm broke out, drenching the seance participants and terrifying them with the horrific lightning and thunder. only above the Knickerbocker Hotel! Some speculated that perhaps Houdini did come through after all, as the flamboyant performer just might have made his presence known by the spectacular effects of the thunderstorm.
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Houdini became fascinated with magic after seeing Dr. Lynn, a travelling magician, as a young boy. He did not, as legend has it, run away with a circus, nor was he an apprentice to a locksmith. In reality, he turned to magic at age 17 as an alternative to factory work. He teamed up with Jack Hayman, a magic enthusiast, to form the Houdini Brothers. (The name "Houdini" was used in tribute to Jean Eugene Robert-Houdini, the most famous magician of that era.) Houdini's brother Theodore (later known as Hardeen) ... became his partner. Shortly, Bess Rahner, the woman who was to become Houdini's partner both in the act and in his life, then replaced Hardeen.
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