this famous magician once said my brain
is the key that sets my mind free he was
the most famous magician in history
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we'll
be learning more about the life and
accomplishments of Harry Houdini
emigrating from his home country of
Hungary as a child in the late 1800s
Houdini settled in the United States
after an unsuccessful career Houdini
eventually started experimenting with
escaped acts this is when his career
really started to take off by the end of
the 19th century Houdini was touring the
top vaudeville theaters in America on
the strength of his handcuff escapes in
fact he even became known as the
handcuff King in this particular act he
used technical expertise physical
dexterity and of course a bit of
trickery to WoW his audiences he
increased the difficulty of this trick
by performing it under water or by
leaping off a bridge before his escape
by 1907 his wealth and fame were growing
and he continued to add new escape acts
to his shows the next year he retired
his handcuff trick though he continued
to place himself in increasingly
difficult unique and dangerous scenarios
one of his most popular acts was the
suspended straitjacket escape the
magician used this as a promotional tool
as thousands of people were able to see
him at work Houdini was fitted into a
straitjacket and then hung upside down
from a crane or a tall building
onlookers were shocked to see him
struggle to escape but finally he would
work his way free of the constraints and
be victoriously lowered to the ground he
revealed some of the simpler secrets of
his acts to fellow magicians in books
and articles to spur interest in and the
success of the field books like
handcuffs secrets miracle mongers in
their methods and magical rope ties and
escapes explained to readers the tips
and tricks of the trade and helped prove
that Houdini's talent was in his
showmanship Houdini also began showing
an interest in filmmaking in the early
years of the 20th century he appeared in
a number of films that showcased his
magic however by 1923 he had abandoned
this the magician continued his
successful career until his death in
Detroit Michigan on Halloween 1926 from
a burst appendix
Houdini's memory has lived on ever since
as a motivated worker skilled
self-promoter
parallel Schulman and one of the finest
magicians the world has ever seen