(N.Morgan) Harry Houdini (born Erik Weisz, later Ehrich Weiss or Harry Weiss; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American illusionist and stunt performer, noted for his sensational escape acts.

He first attracted notice in vaudeville in the US and then as “Harry Handcuff Houdini” on a tour of Europe, where he challenged police forces to keep him locked up.

Soon he extended his repertoire to include chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers, straitjackets under water, and having to escape from and hold his breath inside a sealed milk can.

He began his magic career in 1891 but had little success.

 He performed in dime museums and sideshows, and even doubled as “The Wild Man” at a circus.

Houdini focused initially on traditional card tricks. At one point, he billed himself as the “King of Cards”.

He soon began experimenting with escape acts.

Harry Houdini lived a life full of danger, the super natural, and even dabbled in the practice of seances, to contact the dead.

The Great Houdini may have passed away from a infection in his Appendix or a few punches to the gut he recieved in a fight.

Shortly after his death, authorities planned to exhume his remains to investigate the possibility that Houdini had been murdered.

The story of how he died is fanciful and scientifically dubious: could it be that he was really murdered?

In the question of who was his murderer, who could be the culprit?

Could it have been other Spiritualists, whom Houdini spent a great deal of time exposing as fakes and frauds? 

In the 1920s Houdini turned his energies toward debunking psychics and mediums, a pursuit that inspired and was followed by latter-day stage magicians.

Houdini’s training in magic allowed him to expose frauds who had successfully fooled many scientists and academics.

He was a member of a Scientific American committee that offered a cash prize to any medium who could successfully demonstrate supernatural abilities.

None was able to do so, and the prize was never collected.

The first to be tested was medium George Valentine of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. As his fame as a “ghostbuster” grew, Houdini took to attending séances in disguise, accompanied by a reporter and police officer.

Possibly the most famous medium whom he debunked was Mina Crandon, also known as “Margery”.

Houdini exposed numerous phony mediums and inspired other magicians to follow suit.

The Amazing Randi, (Dorothy) Dietrich, Penn & Teller and Dick Brookz are magicians that have exposed these unscrupulous mediums.

The official claim that his death was due to a punch to the gut- yet his wife didn’t believe this theory and had thought he was murdered and continued an informak investigation.

The exhumation never took place on Houdini’s remains, so how he really died will forever remain a mystery.

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