here you go, I wrote an essay on Houndini, this is not my 12 page report on the history of magic

Harry Houdini’s real name was Ehrich. Houdini claimed that he was born in Appleton, Minnesota. But the truth wasn’t discovered until the day he died, October 31, 1936. Houdini had many nick names, he called himself the King of Cards, then the King of Handcuffs, and many, many more. He also performed seances, where he would speak with the dead.
One of Houdini’s greatest tircks is his chinese water tank escape. He would fill a big tank up with water, get in his swim suit, and get in upside down! The tank is very tight, made just for him, then his feet would be shackled in. A padlock was put on the top door to secure him in. A curtain was drawn around him so no one could see what he was doing. People waited and assistants had axes at the ready just in case. Then out pops Houndini drenched and tired. Everyone cheers!
On my diorama the handcuffs represent all of his other amazing escapes. For example, during each and every one of his shows there would usually be someone who brought their own handcuffs, they claimed them to be inescapable. Houdini puts them on and then has them right off in a minute!
Another handcuff moment was when Houdini was stripped naked, searched, and checked, then put in a jail cell. His clothes were put in another cell, the people left then room. Seconds later he is out, not only had he released himself from the cell, he also released the other inmates! The police were not happy, but Houdini’s career sky rocketed! From there on Houdini escaped from rivers, made elephants vanish, walked through walls, took punches, swallowed needles, summoned ghosts, and made silver dollars appear from thin air.
One day a young boxer asked Houdini if he could really get punched in the stomach and take it. Houdini replied yes, so he threw not one but four punches. Houdini was unaffected at the time, but after a day he felt a little sick. It got worse over the next two days, the doctor told him his appendix was going to explode and he had appendicitis. Houdini refused to stop his show. It was a short show he could only do the needle trick and silver dollar, not water torture, or handcuffs. After that Houdini rushed to the hospital. They successfully removed it but they were too late. Houdini died on Halloween, 1936.
I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was interesting and factual. The theme was biography and story. It felt like a story it was so exiting. I hope you learned a couple things about Houdini.




hope you liked it

It could use some work and fact changes, as not all that is 100% correct.
Plus its really short...

It was short. And i think the blows part went like this.

Houdini was entertaining some kids in a locker room when one asked if Houdini could withstand multiple blows to the chest. Before he could answer, the kid started to punch Houdini in the chest.

I think it goes like that. From the essay I wrote (not here), i wrote that. It came up on the net, and in a few books i took out of the library.

well i also bought a book, or like bibliography and that is what it said

Many books out on Houdini are inaccurate in many aspects.

I don't think he was entertaining them. I'm pretty sure one college student was painting a portrait of Houdini, and his friend came in, asked Houdini if he could withstand the hardest blows to the abdomen... and well, you know the rest. Also, work on your spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization.

Houdini was poisoned, he did not die from being punched in the stomach. Sheesh, if that were true, all boxers would die after boxing matches.

I could of sworn that he disproved seances, not did them.



He didn't have time to flex his abdominal muscles before the kid started punching him. I don't know if I believe the story of him dying that way since appendicitis from a punch is rare, we should know soon though seeing as how his family is having him dug up and examined by a team of forensic scientists. Soon the mystery will be revealed...

No, he actually performed seances, but let the audience know how he was doing them. In this way he tried to put mediums and fortune tellers out of business.

But when he told them how he did it, wouldn't that be disproving that it was an actual seance?

Anyways I guess you learn something new everyday!

-Matt

So, are you saying he "exposed" magic? And he was President of Society of American Magicians, how sad is that?

Real name - Erich Weiss. Born in Budapest, Hungary. Died October 31, 1926. I don't think that he performed seances, rather his family did seances with him after he died. It was a college student who punched him. He died a week after the punch in the hospital. That year (1926) Houdini starred in his show, " The Magic Man". That book obviously told some lies and some facts.

he didnt consider them magicians.

he was a performer of mentalism. but didnt like those of fraud, so he exposed them-as they should.


You all really need to do much more research. I just shake my head reading these posts.
But i am to busy to correct them all.

I know, I was just stirring things up a bit. It is interesting to me though how the methods that he revealed are pretty much what magicians use today. It's just the context that somehow makes the "exposure" okay.

I agree, the essay was full of factual errors. The "truth" as we believe it is out there for anyone who wants to dig for it and not believe the first Google link they read.

Like I said before, I'm pretty sure that he did perform seances, but only to one person, in a bright room, completely surrounded by people. He did this to expose mediums for the frauds they are. But yes, his family... or more like Bess (his wife) did hold seances to try to communicate with him after he died.