Harry Houdini's unbelievable exploits
Magic’s popularity has waxed and waned many times over the years, but in the early 20th century, Harry Houdini represented more than a magician. The mystical escape artist thrilled massive crowds all across the globe with his death-defying tricks and unbelievable escapes.
Houdini in the Chinese Water Torture Cell, 1912. (DURIEZ Frederic)
Despite his larger than life persona, he kept a level head about himself. The man no lock could hold in famously said shortly before his death, “No man is great while he is alive because the last day before his death he might do something that would discount all else of greatness in his career.” Houdini’s greatness enthralled the world so completely, more than a century after, we still talk about his unbelievable exploits.
Almost Faded Into Obscurity
Houdini was one to live by his words. Born Ehrich Weiss, he firmly believed that, “It is through neglect and laziness that a man fails. If he will plod and suffer and, if need be, die for his ambition, he cannot but help gain the fame he dreamed of.” As a youth, Houdini did a lot of plodding and nearly gave up his dreams of becoming a famous magician before vaudeville impresario Martin Beck booked him on a tour of Europe and the United States in 1899. Beck also gave Houdini the greatest advice of his career, which was to make escapes a central part of his act.
“King of Handcuffs”
The great magician could hold his breath more than four minutes, training in his bath tub.
With Beck’s advice firmly in his head, Houdini challenged audiences to construct him by whatever means necessary. Handcuffs, ropes, even a jail cell that held Charles Guiteau all failed to detain Houdini. As the “King of Handcuffs” the magician quickly began performing to sell out crowds all across Europe. One of his earliest high profile escapes saw him jump into a river in New York with his hands manacled behind his back.
“Belly Of The Beast”
Before Houndini entered the "belly of the beast." (Hulton Archive Getty Images)
Houdini became so famous worldwide that he started to receive various challenges from people all over the world. Perhaps one of his most famous tests came from a group of Boston businessmen who dared Houdini to escape from the belly of a 1,500-pound “sea monster” that washed ashore in the harbor. The “sea monster” was in all likelihood a whale but the international escape artist couldn’t resist a difficult dilemma. After being shackled in handcuffs and leg irons, he was stuffed into the beast before they sewed up the opening. 15 minutes later he emerged unscathed but did admit to nearly suffocating on the arsenic fumes used to embalm the “beast.”
Buried Alive
Houdini married his assistant Bess-Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner
Many of Houdini’s escapes played upon the most atavistic fears of everyday people. When he first buried himself under six feet of sand without a coffin, he nearly died. As he struggled to dig himself out, he began to panic and burn up much of his precious oxygen. His assistant failed to hear his screams for help until he was able to burst a single hand from the ground. Before passing out he muttered, "The weight of the earth is killing."
You’d think nearly asphyxiating underground would force him to avoid such a trick again. However, Houdini went back to that well, sealing himself in a coffin before being submerged for over an hour and a half. He also strapped himself in a straitjacket in a casket that was then put in a large tank filled with sand.
Houdini Helps The War Effort
Houdini's brother Theo was also a magician named Hardeen. Later in life the brothers played fierce rivals in order to generate buzz.
Although he was born in Hungary, Houdini was a proud patriot. During World War I, he canceled his touring season to entertain soldiers and raise money for the war effort. He even tapped his reserve of skills to teach soldiers at New York’s Hippodrome. During those classes he taught them how to escape from sinking ships along with his various ways of slipping out of ropes, handcuffs, and any other restraints the Germans might use on them.
Final Act?
Houdini died of peritonitis rather than a trick gone wrong.
Houdini called his "escape from the Siberian Transport was my most difficult performance. I was placed in the great vault usually assigned to political prisoners, and when the great door was shut, I had the hardest time of my life, perhaps, in releasing myself. But nevertheless, it took me 18 minutes to walk out, and face the dazed officials.” Nevertheless, he and his beloved wife agreed on an even more arduous task: connecting after his death.
The couple came up with a secret phrase and agreed to attempt to connect from the great beyond should he pass before her. Every anniversary she attempted to reach him without success. Weirdly, Houdini himself offered a $10,000 reward to anyone who could present a “physical phenomena” that could not be explained rationally. He even testified before Congress in support of a bill that would outlaw “pretending to tell fortunes for reward or compensation.”
