Specialties

-slipping out of ropes, chains, and handcuffs while locked in trunks and milk cans, or submerged under water.

-slipping out of ropes, chains, and handcuffs while locked in trunks and milk cans, or submerged under water.

early life

-He was born on March 24, 1874, in Budapest, Hungary.-His original name was Ehrich Weisz.-he lived in Budapest until he was a toddler and then he and his family met up

with his father in America.

Early Years Continued

• Starting out Ehrich sold newspapers and shined shoes to help support his family.

• Ehrich engaged in athletic activities and practiced acrobatic stunts.

• He first performed as a nine year old hanging from a trapeze

Life on His Own

-Age 12: Hopped on a freight car; He was running away

-He came back a year later to reunite with his family in New York

-this is when he and his brother

became interested in magic

The Start of His Career

-He first performed magic shows for civic groups when he was 17

-sometimes he would even do up to 20 shows per day

-He worked with his brother Theo as the Houdini Brothers

Marriage

• Beatrice Raymond was Houdini’s wife

• She was a singer and dancer and trying to get into show business

• Beatrice became Houdini’s new partner after they were married in 1894

The Welsh Brothers Circus

-they joined the Circus for six months-at first they performed easy acts but as time went on Harry became more interested and began to experiment with new tricks

Trip to England

-Harry and Beatrice sailed to England to try out his new act

-He tried his performance out at the London theater

-the theater extended his booking to eventually 6 months due to a successful show

Return to United States

-he came back to the U.S. as a celebrity

-Houdini performed more tricks for the Americans

-He even came across one failure when he attempted to escape chains while submerged in beer

His Career Sucesses

-Houdini practiced and pushed himself to his limit

-He made sure he was always at the top of the entertainment field

-He was president of the Society of American and he started the Magician’s club

Sharing His Success

• He wrote books and magazines

• He even explained how to do his easier tricks

• His harder tricks were kept a secret because he wanted to remain the best

Spiritualism

-Because of his mother’s death he became involved in talking to the dead

-Houdini gave many lectures on spiritualism

-He would award anyone who could make a psychic effect

Last Years As A Magician

Houdini was known for being able to “withstand any blow to his body” above the waist. A student challenged him but before he could prepare he was hit.

Houdini had peritonitis a fatal disease

-Houdini was giving a show after not sleeping for three days (His wife Bess had been sick with food poisoning)-He broke his foot

Houdini’s Death-Life for Houdini was brought to an end on October 31, 1926

-His funeral was held in New York and many people came to watch

-the Society of American Magicians started a new tradition by breaking a wand

Machpelah Cemetery in Long Island, New York

The end