Harry Houdini and Magic

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Harry Houdini
Throughout the centuries, humans have been captivated by the mystery and excitement behind magic. There have been a countless amount of magicians and entertainers that have brought smiles, laughter, and excitement to the public’s faces. However, the most famous of these illusionist was Harry Houdini. Despites some setbacks at the beginning stages of his career, Houdini continued to believe in himself and his hard work eventually led him to stardom. He understood that what, “the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes.” People crave excitement that cannot be explained. As stated by the great Houdini himself, “the easiest way to attract a crowd is to let it be known that at a given time and a given place someone is going to attempt something that in the event of failure will mean sudden death.” Harry Houdini indeed has set the bar quite high for aspiring magicians through his mechanical expertise of magic and the mystery behind his illustrious escapes.
The man whom some might refer to as “the greatest magician that ever lived” was Harry Houdini. He was born under the name of Erich Weisz in the grand capital city of Budapest, Hungary on March 24, 1874. Erich was born unto the Jewish rabbi, Mayer Sámul Weisz and mother Cecília Weisz. Erich was part of a large family which consisted of his half-brother Herman M. (1863-1885), Nathan J. (1870-1972), Gottfried William (1872-1925), Theodore also known by his nickname "Theo"(1876-1945), Leopold D. (1879-1962), and his only sister, Carrie Gladys (1882-1959).
On July 3rd, 1878, four-year-old Erich and his family packed their bags, boarded the SS Fresia, and headed to the Big Apple, New York City (Monticup). The family then changed their last name to “Weiss” and like...

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...an-and-magician-before-his-time.html>.
“Harry Houdini (1874-1926).” PBS.1999. .
Fleischman, Sid. Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini. New York: Greenwillow, 2006.
“Harry Houdini.”Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 1996-2013. 10 Mar. 2014.
Monticup, Jackie. "Houdini Biography." MagicTricks.com. Mar. 2014. .
"The Great Harry Houdini." thegreatharryhoudini.com. 2013. 11 Mar. 2014. .
"Harry Houdini." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition. Columbia University Press, 1 Sept. 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. .

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