Harry Houdini
Paige Thomas
Abracadabra
Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, come one come all to witness the amazing death defying acts of the amazing Harry Houdini! Taking his audience on a heart stopping ride, Harry Houdini was the greatest magician and escape artist of all time. No locks would keep him, no tomb could hold him, and no audience could resist him. Houdini was more than just a vaudeville magician with a bag of tricks. Even today, some of his escape methods still remain unsolved.
Long before he was legendary magician Harry Houdini, he was Erik Weisz. Erik Weisz was born on March 24, 1874 in Budapest, Hungary. He was one of seven children belonging to a Jewish Rabbi and his wife, Mayer and Cecilia Weisz. The Weisz family moved to the United States on July 3, 1878. The family changed the Hungarian spelling of their German surname to Weiss, and Erik’s name was changed to Erich. Friends referred to him as Ehrie, which later turned into Harry. They first lived in Appleton, Wisconsin, where his father was a Rabbi for a Zion Reform Jewish congregation. At one point, Harry would later claim that Appleton was his birth town. In 1887, Rabbi Weiss and his son relocated to a New York City boarding house. The rest of the family joined once Rabbi Weiss was able to find permanent housing. As a child, Erich took several jobs, one of them being a messenger man. He first debuted an act as a trapeze artist when he was just 9 years old. He called himself, “Erich, the Prince of Air.” Eric was first introduced to magic by the traveling circuses that passed through New York City. He became obsessed with how illusions were performed. In his spare time he lifted weights to build his physique. He also practiced acrobatic skills. In 1891, Erich officially began his magic career. In the early years he had little success. He traveled from town to town in sideshows, dime museums, and as The Wild Man at several freak shows. Initially, he focused on traditional card tricks, and, at one
Abracadabra
Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, come one come all to witness the amazing death defying acts of the amazing Harry Houdini! Taking his audience on a heart stopping ride, Harry Houdini was the greatest magician and escape artist of all time. No locks would keep him, no tomb could hold him, and no audience could resist him. Houdini was more than just a vaudeville magician with a bag of tricks. Even today, some of his escape methods still remain unsolved.
Long before he was legendary magician Harry Houdini, he was Erik Weisz. Erik Weisz was born on March 24, 1874 in Budapest, Hungary. He was one of seven children belonging to a Jewish Rabbi and his wife, Mayer and Cecilia Weisz. The Weisz family moved to the United States on July 3, 1878. The family changed the Hungarian spelling of their German surname to Weiss, and Erik’s name was changed to Erich. Friends referred to him as Ehrie, which later turned into Harry. They first lived in Appleton, Wisconsin, where his father was a Rabbi for a Zion Reform Jewish congregation. At one point, Harry would later claim that Appleton was his birth town. In 1887, Rabbi Weiss and his son relocated to a New York City boarding house. The rest of the family joined once Rabbi Weiss was able to find permanent housing. As a child, Erich took several jobs, one of them being a messenger man. He first debuted an act as a trapeze artist when he was just 9 years old. He called himself, “Erich, the Prince of Air.” Eric was first introduced to magic by the traveling circuses that passed through New York City. He became obsessed with how illusions were performed. In his spare time he lifted weights to build his physique. He also practiced acrobatic skills. In 1891, Erich officially began his magic career. In the early years he had little success. He traveled from town to town in sideshows, dime museums, and as The Wild Man at several freak shows. Initially, he focused on traditional card tricks, and, at one