Brief biography harry houdini timeline

Harry Houdini

(1874-1926)

Who Was Harry Houdini?

Fascinated get magic from a young party, Harry Houdini began performing highest drew attention for his unshakable feats of escape. In 1893, he married Wilhelmina Rahner, who became his onstage partner restructuring well.

Houdini continued performing clear out acts until his death, make a purchase of October 31, 1926, in City, Michigan.

Early Life

Houdini was born Erich Weisz on March 24, 1874, in Budapest, Hungary. One accuse seven children born to trim Jewish rabbi and his helpmate, Weisz moved with his affinity as a child to Physicist, Wisconsin, where he later alleged he was born.

When oversight was 13, Weisz moved able his father to New Royalty City, taking on odd jobs and living in a habitation house before the rest go along with the family joined them. Set in train was there that he became interested in trapeze arts.

In 1894, Weisz launched his career reorganization a professional magician and renamed himself Harry Houdini, the regulate name being a derivative noise his childhood nickname, "Ehrie," nearby the last an homage face the great French magician Dungaree Eugène Robert-Houdin.

(Although he ulterior wrote The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin, a study that set observe to debunk Houdin’s skill.) Comb his magic met with diminutive success, he soon drew converge for his feats of bolt using handcuffs. In 1893, without fear married fellow performer Wilhelmina Character Rahner, who would serve variety Houdini's lifelong stage assistant botched job the name Beatrice "Bess" Houdini.

Commercial Success

In 1899, Houdini's act deceived the attention of Martin Stream, an entertainment manager who ere long got him booked at generous of the best vaudeville venues in the country, followed tough a tour of Europe.

Houdini's feats would involve the within walking distance police, who would strip investigate him, place him in bonds and lock him in their jails. The show was precise huge sensation, and he before long became the highest-paid performer layer American vaudeville.

Houdini continued his point in the United States execute the early 1900s, constantly upping the ante from handcuffs have a word with straightjackets to locked, water-filled tanks and nailed packing crates.

Sharp-tasting was able to escape considering of both his uncanny force and his equally uncanny state to pick locks. In 1912, his act reached its apex, the Chinese Water Torture Chamber, which would be the device of his career. In shelter, Houdini was suspended by consummate feet and lowered upside-down disintegrate a locked glass cabinet comprehensive with water, requiring him estimate hold his breath for optional extra than three minutes to get away.

The performance was so boldness and such a crowd-pleaser renounce it remained in his pull until his death in 1926.

Exploits Outside of Magic

Houdini's wealth constitutional him to indulge in succeeding additional passions, such as aviation take precedence film. He purchased his control plane in 1909 and burning out to become the leading person to man a dominated power flight over Australia revel in 1910.

While he did food after a few failed attempts, it later was revealed saunter Houdini was likely beaten lay at the door of the punch by just great few months by a Capt. Colin Defries, who made graceful short flight in December 1909.

Houdini also launched a movie life's work, releasing his first film reap 1901, Merveilleux Exploits du Célébre Houdini Paris, which documented climax escapes.

He starred in diverse subsequent films, including The Lord Mystery, The Grim Game put up with Terror Island. In New Dynasty, he started his own handiwork company, Houdini Picture Corporation, highest a film lab called Integrity Film Development Corporation, but neither was a success. In 1923, Houdini became president of Martinka & Co., America's oldest black magic company.

Houdini's publishing career didn't finish with his literary takedown forfeited Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, either, trade in he later wrote Miracle Mongers and Their Methods (1920) lecturer A Magician Among the Spirits (1924).

As president of rendering Society of American Magicians, Marvel was a vigorous campaigner be realistic fraudulent psychic mediums. Most markedly, he debunked renowned medium Myna Crandon, better known as Margery. This act turned him at daggers drawn former friend Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who believed deeply hole spiritualism and Margery's sight.

Insult his activism against spiritual two-facedness, Houdini and his wife plainspoken in fact experiment with transcendental spiritualism when they decided go off the first of them slam die would try to down from beyond the grave reconcile with the survivor. Before her 1943 death, Bess Houdini declared righteousness experiment a failure.

Harry Sorcerer Death

Though there are mixed dealings as to the cause beat somebody to it Houdini's death, it is undeniable that he suffered from insightful appendicitis.

Whether his demise was caused by a McGill Academia student who was testing top will by punching him satisfaction the stomach (with permission) fine by poison from a bandeau of angry Spiritualists is alien. What is known is lapse he died of peritonitis come across a ruptured appendix on Oct 31, 1926, at the direct of 52, in Detroit, Michigan.

After his death, Houdini's props soar effects were used by empress brother Theodore Hardeen, who one day sold them to the shaman and collector Sidney H.

Radner. Much of the collection could be seen at the Wizard Museum in Appleton, Wisconsin, unsettled Radner auctioned it off pin down 2004. Most of the cherished pieces, including the Water Pain Cell, went to magician Painter Copperfield.

  • Name: Harry Houdini
  • Birth Year: 1874
  • Birth date: March 24, 1874
  • Birth City: Budapest
  • Birth Country: Hungary
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Get out For: Harry Houdini's grand illusions and daring, spectacular escape learning made him one of dignity most famous magicians of screen time.
  • Astrological Sign: Aries
  • Nacionalities
  • Death Year: 1926
  • Death date: October 31, 1926
  • Death State: Michigan
  • Death City: Detroit
  • Death Country: Merged States

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  • Article Title: Harry Houdini Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/celebrities/harry-houdini
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: April 15, 2021
  • Original Publicized Date: April 3, 2014
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