Ep. 112: Harry Houdini – Top 5 Magic Tricks

November 19, 2023 Peter Jans

Intro

Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.

I’m Jans you Mnemonic Man and today's episode is on probably the greatest magician of all time, the escape artist Harry Houdini.

Originally born in Hungary, Houdini moved to the United States with his family at the age of 4 and started performing as a professional magician at just age 17. He became increasingly famous for his escape acts and toured extensively through Europe and the United States becoming one of the highest-paid performers of his time.

His name is synonymous with magic and escapology and his physical feats and death-defying stunts still amaze and inspire to this day.

On another note, Harry Houdini is also believed to have worked as a spy for both Scotland Yard and the US Secret Service. The proof that he supplied information to Scotland Yard is credible while the CIA’s two manuals on trickery and deception have many references and illustrations to Houdini’s techniques.

Today’s mnemonic is on Harry Houdini’s top five magic tricks.

So, with that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harry_Houdini.png

Wikipedia Summary

Erich Weisz (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926), known as Harry Houdini (/huːˈdiːni/ hoo-DEE-nee), was a Hungarian-American escape artist, illusionist, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts.[3] His pseudonym is a reference to his magical mentor, French magician Robert-Houdin (1805–1871).

He first attracted notice in vaudeville in the United States and then as "Harry 'Handcuff' Houdini" on a tour of Europe, where he challenged police forces to keep him locked up. Soon he extended his repertoire to include chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers, straitjackets under water, and having to escape from and hold his breath inside a sealed milk can with water in it.

In 1904, thousands watched as he tried to escape from special handcuffs commissioned by London's Daily Mirror, keeping them in suspense for an hour. Another stunt saw him buried alive and only just able to claw himself to the surface, emerging in a state of near-breakdown. While many suspected that these escapes were faked, Houdini presented himself as the scourge of fake spiritualists. As President of the Society of American Magicians, he was keen to uphold professional standards and expose fraudulent artists. He was also quick to sue anyone who imitated his escape stunts.

Houdini made several movies but quit acting when it failed to bring in money. He was also a keen aviator and aimed to become the first man to fly a powered aircraft in Australia.[4]

Erich Weisz was born in Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary to a Jewish family.[5][6] His parents were Rabbi Mayer Sámuel Weisz (1829–1892) and Cecília Steiner (1841–1913). Houdini was one of seven children: Herman M. (1863–1885), who was Houdini's half-brother by Rabbi Weisz's first marriage; Nathan J. (1870–1927); Gottfried William (1872–1925); Theodore (1876–1945);[7] Leopold D. (1879–1962); and Carrie Gladys (1882–1959),[8] who was left almost blind after a childhood accident.[9]

Weisz arrived in the United States on July 3, 1878, on the SS Frisia with his mother (who was pregnant) and his four brothers.[10] The family changed their name to the German spelling Weiss, and Erich became Ehrich. The family lived in Appleton, Wisconsin, where his father served as rabbi of the Zion Reform Jewish Congregation.

Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Houdini#Further_reading]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harry_Houdini_with_his_wife_Beatrice_and_mother_Cecilia_Steiner_Weiss,_half-length_portrait_LCCN96518798.jpg

Mnemonic

Harry Houdini – Top 5 Magic Tricks Mnemonic - SCEME

(Picture Harry Houdini always scheming his next bigger and better magic trick)

1. Suspended Straitjacket Escape

2. Chinese Water Torture Cell

3. Escape From Jail

4. Metamorphosis

5. Elephant Vanish

Five Fun Facts

1. The evolution of Houdini’s name is a story in itself. Houdini was born Erik Weisz in Budapest, Hungary. When the family emigrated to Wisconsin in the US when Houdini was just four years old his parents altered his name to Ehrich and was nicknamed “Ehrie” or “Harry”. The Houdini part came with his fascination with French magician Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin. He added an I at the end and hence had his stage name of Harry Houdini.

2. Houdini struggled early in his career and considered giving it up to start a magic school. His break came in 1899 when he was booked on a tour of the United States and Europe by Martin Beck. His bread and butter were escapes and he was soon christened the “King of Handcuffs”.

Along with this, he was also obsessed with using trapdoors in every show. Most say, it was just a stage he was going through!

3. Houdini’s brother Theodore “Dash” Hardeen was also a magician. They worked together when Houdini brought him over to Europe and also against each other to create a phony rivalry. Theodore is also credited with inventing the escape act from a straitjacket in full public view.

4. Harry Houdini was the first person to make a powered and controlled flight in Australia in 1910; or was he? The Aerial League of Australia certified him as the first however, other historians argue that an Englishman named Colin Defries made the flight a few months earlier. One-hundred years later both were commemorated with a series of stamps.

5. Now to Houdini’s untimely death and the supposed punch by a student that killed him. Firstly, he actually fell ill the day before the punch which was Thursday. He received the punch by student J. Gordon Whitehead on Friday and felt even worse on Saturday yet he still performed a show. A doctor then examined him on Sunday afternoon and diagnosed that acute appendicitis was likely.

Houdini then performed another show which he just barely made it through and afterwards refused to go to the hospital. The chief of surgery then arrived at his room at approximately 3.00 am Monday morning and implored him to go straight to the hospital. Houdini then telephoned his doctor in New York to get a second opinion! It wasn’t until Monday afternoon that he was finally operated on and a burst appendix was discovered causing peritonitis which is bacteria and inflammation in the abdominal cavity. This was unfortunately a death sentence in those days as there were no antibiotics and as a result Houdini died six days later. The punch is generally ruled out as nobody could survive nine days with a burst appendix.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jack_Dempsey,_Harry_Houdini_and_Benny_Leonard2.jpg

Three Question Quiz

Q.1. In the 1953 movie “Houdini” Janet Leigh played Houdini’s wife. Who played Houdini? Options are Tony Curtis, Clark Gable or Errol Flynn

Q.2. How many children did Houdini and his wife Bess have? Options are zero, five or ten

Q.3. At what age did Houdini become a professional magician?

Bonus Q. What decade did Harry Houdini die?

Bonus Q. In what city did Harry Houdini make an elephant disappear?

Mnemonic Recap

Harry Houdini – Top 5 Magic Tricks Mnemonic - SCEME

(Picture Harry Houdini always scheming his next bigger and better magic trick)

1. Suspended Straitjacket Escape

2. Chinese Water Torture Cell