The famous American illusionist Harry Houdini

Faith in magic is often used by unclean handsmagicians exclusively for deception and making money. But there are people, bewitchingly watching the actions of which, you begin to doubt that there is no magic. One of such geniuses of the business was well-known Harry Houdini.

Childhood

Harry Houdini was born on March 24, 1874in the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the city of Budapest. The future magician loved to hide the place of birth and often mentioned in autobiographies the city of Appleton, Wisconsin, where the family of a four-year-old boy moved from Europe. Native fluent spoke German, Hungarian and Yiddish.

Erich Weiss (real name of magician) took in the veryearly age alias Harry Houdini. The biography of the great artist has since been written exclusively under this name, coined in honor of Jean Eugene Robin-Houdin, a magician of French origin. His work the boy acquired on the first earned money and immediately absorbed as a sponge all that was written there.

The name was borrowed from the American illusionist of German origin Harry Kellar. Although friends say that they called it Erich in early childhood.

Later, in 1887, Harry Houdini's familymoved to New York, where the young talent had to work a lot with his assistant blacksmith in a metalwork shop and live in a boarding house. At the same time, he helped in the shop to repair the castles, where he got acquainted with the work of their mechanisms. Work in the smithy was a temporary haven - the artist did not take in the cafe of Harlem, one of the most prosperous at the time of the New York area, because of too young an age.

Work had to Erich from a small age - even in Appleton, he worked as an aerial gymnast in an amateur circus, often under the dome.

Parents

While describing the life of any famous person,it is worth starting with his parents. Who was the father of the magician Harry Houdini, is known in detail. The father of the young illusionist, as well as six of his brothers and sisters, is Meer Samuel (according to other sources - Shamuel) Weiss is a rabbi who, when moving to the United States, got a job in a synagogue called "Reform Jewish Community of Zion".

The early death of his father in 1892 did not allow young Harry Houdini to get a good education.

Learning the future of the illusionist was hisMom, Cecilia Steiner. Of course, home schooling could not fully replace the school and instead of deep knowledge the mind of young talent began to occupy Harry Houdini's secrets - tricks.

First success

Successful career of the illusionist began already withten years. The tricks Harry Houdini amazed with his skill. Bright posters with which the city's advertising stands were hung up, called him "the king of cards", and it really was not far from the truth.

Formed with his brother Theo, the ensemble "The BrothersHoudini "became the main breadwinner of the family. The artists performed a lot, traveling a lot to different cities. But the soul of the maestro demanded real recognition, for which it was necessary to prepare more spectacular stunts.

The case that paved the way for the big stage

During numerous tours, in one of thesuburbs of New York, the policeman "learned" in the illusionist a thief, who for a long time unsuccessfully tried to find guards of order. Confident, the constable donned handcuffs to Harry. It took him no more than five seconds to free himself from the shackles. Of course, far-fetched charges were dropped.

But this did not surprise the illusionist. And the fact that a formidable policeman, a few minutes ago, blinked in confusion with his eyes open-mouthed. Then I apologized and asked for an autograph. All this happened under the influence of the stormy ovations of the crowd of idle gapers. In the evening this trick was shown from the stage and for some time became the crown in the program.

Release from handcuffs was done by manymagicians at the time, but only Harry did it with the inventory that visitors brought with them. Of course, there were also envious people. One day a police officer brought handcuffs with a broken mechanism that could not be opened. That night it went unnoticed by the audience, but the magician, aimed at a grand continuation of his career, has since carefully checked the inventory, because any hitch could cost him his life.

Family life

1893 in the life of Harry became one of the mosthappy - he secured himself by marriage with Wilhelmina Beatrice Raner (often referred to simply as Betty). This woman became a loyal companion of the artist both in life and on stage - henceforth only to him he trusted the honorary title of assistant, until the end of his life.

Career growth

Without waiting for the moment when spectators get bored with the trick with handcuffs, the actor complicated it by hanging it in a sack on the ledge of a skyscraper, the program showed straitjackets.

Recognition allowed to carry out large-scale stuntson passage through brick walls and release from the locked premises. The police of various cities happily participated in the show, closing the magician in the most impregnable cells, from which he was surprisingly released.

In 1899 the maestro met MartinBek, who organized a tour of Europe. Residents of the old part of the planet were dumbfounded by new numbers, in which the illusionist was freed from various containers with liquids. During one of his speeches he was even thrown into the river Thames in a sack with a tied heavy weight. Of course, with handcuffed hands. There was no limit to the jubilation of the crowd when, after a few moments, Harry surfaced with absolutely free limbs.

Residents of London passed on to several generations ofthat they could personally observe the trick with the elephant. An animal in a dark room was covered with a white veil and then removed it. The elephant was not there. Where did he go, an unsophisticated viewer, of course, could not guess. Obviously, magic.

The focus was so popular that over theFor many years the illusionist was asked to repeat it. He surrendered only in 1918 and demonstrated a miracle at the racetrack in New York. Needless to say, the number was a resounding success, which was written about in the newspapers all over the world for a long time.

Traveling around our region

The famous wizard visited Russia in 1908. In addition to his crown numbers for the crowd, he caused a lot of worries for the jailers of Butyrskaya prison and the Peter and Paul Fortress.

On the magician for entourage wearing clothes prisoners, locked in the most impregnable cells, which usually were suicide bombers. Of course, the bolts were the most high-quality and modern.

In a quarter of an hour the magician dressed in his clothesalready peacefully drinking tea with guards in their room. They say that he could free himself in just two minutes. There are rumors that for Hochma he changed places of prisoners. It is not known only whether the guards were cheerful.

Enthusiasm of the great magician

Harry Houdini was a man far ahead ofits time. Not surprisingly, his bank account had constant cash flows. It is said that his income in 1920 was several times higher than the salary of the American president. But his first plane Harry Houdini bought back in 1909 and already in 1910, the first of the people crossed Australia through the air.

He founded a production company and starred inseveral films. The talent of the magician was so great that in the last century seven films with such famous actors as Tony Curtis, Guy Pearce, Adrian Brody and others were shot about him. Also Harry Houdini was the president of the American community of sorcerers and sorcerers, and he also actively fought with charlatans , who "talked" with spirits.

Death of the Mage

About how Harry Houdini died, there are several versions. According to one of them, the magician did not become directly during the performance. The news was widely disseminated by the newspaper, but it was not true.

According to another, he was poisoned. The third one speaks of an appendicitis that has ruptured and soon the peritonitis that struck the magician. The great Harry died on October 31, 1926. He was only 52 years old.

Valuable items were transferred to the museum in Appleton, most of which were subsequently sold at auction to David Copperfield.