![]() He died on October 31st as a result of a burst appendix. Despite the efforts of doctors, he was unable to recover. ![]() “Hungarian chicken, spatzels, custard bread pudding with bing cherries, and Hungarian spatzels are just a few of his favorites.”Īfter performing in Detroit for the final time, he became ill on the train and was hospitalized. But while much is known about his magic and his showmanship, one question that has been debated for decades is: did Houdini drink? What did his relationship with alcohol look like, and how did it shape his career and life? This article will explore the evidence, both historical and anecdotal, to answer the question of whether or not Houdini drank. He was known for his daring and dangerous stunts, and his ability to escape from seemingly impossible situations. However, fans have continued to hold Houdini séances every Halloween since.Harry Houdini is one of the most famous magicians and escape artists of the 20th century. After ten years, she concluded it would never happen and ended the séances. Houdini died on October 31, 1926, and every year on Halloween, his widow, Bess, conducted a séance, hoping to receive a pre-arranged coded message from Houdini. Houdini séances are held every Halloweenĭespite his skepticism about Spiritualism (see #3 above), Houdini vowed that if he died first, he would try to contact his wife from beyond the grave. He crashed during his first flight, but he stuck with it, and during a tour of Australia in March of 1910, he became the first person to successfully pilot a plane in Australia, making three successful flights near Melbourne, each only a couple of minutes long. He developed a passion for aviation in 1909, and bought a French-made biplane and learned to fly. Houdini gave up movies and returned to live performances for good.ĥ. Houdini went on to star in two more serials, but neither were nearly as successful, critically or commercially. The serial was a smash hit (and in an interesting side note, it was the first film to feature a robot). In the 1919’s serial, The Master Mystery, he played an undercover agent who uses his escape skills to thwart criminals. Houdini had a brief career as a silent film star in the late teens and early 1920s. He offered a $10,000 reward to anyone who could present “physical phenomena” that could not be explained rationally-a reward he was never forced to pay. In the 1920s, he became a professional skeptic and debunker of psychics, mind readers, mediums and others who claimed to be in contact with the deceased. He debunked psychics and the supernaturalĭistraught over his mother’s death, Houdini tried to contact her via séances, however he quickly discovered that the mediums conducting the séances were frauds. After achieving world-wide fame, he put magic in his act, but contemporary descriptions confirm that he was lackluster as a magician.ģ. He achieved fame by becoming an escape artist, “The King of Handcuffs”. He challenged audiences to tie him up or lock him in handcuffs, or nail him into boxes. Ironically, years later Houdini turned on his idol, and wrote a (mostly inaccurate) book called The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin, accusing him of being an imposter.Īlthough he started his career as a magician, he struggled, and was on the verge of quitting when producer Martin Beck encouraged him to make escapes the focus of his act. ![]() Young Erik named himself after his hero by adding an “i” to the name “Houdin” to create the stage name “Houdini” (there is debate about where “Harry” came from). As a teenager, he read the memoirs of French conjurer Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin (often called “The Father of Modern Magic”). Originally from Budapest, Hungary, Houdini’s real name was Erik Weisz. As one of the most well-known names in magic for his escape tricks, there is still much about Houdini’s life that some people may not know! Here are 6 things that you probably didn’t know about Harry Houdini.ġ.
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