Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdiniwas an American illusionist and stunt performer, noted for his sensational escape acts. He first attracted notice in vaudeville in the US 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...
NationalityHungarian
ProfessionMagician
Date of Birth24 March 1874
CityBudapest, Hungary
My brain is the key that sets my mind free.
My business has given me an intimate knowledge of stage illusions, together with many years of experience among show people of all types.
A common pickpocket trick is for the operator to carry a shawl or overcoat carelessly over the left arm, and to take a seat on the right side of the person they intend to rob in a streetcar or other vehicle.
What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes.
I am a great admirer of mystery and magic. Look at this life - all mystery and magic.
I'm tired of fighting.
Anyone who believes in magic is a fool.
I am not an irretrievable skeptic. I am not hopelessly prejudiced. I am perfectly willing to believe, and my mind is wide open; but I have, as yet, to be convinced. I am perfectly willing, but the evidence must be sane and conclusive.
The great trouble with magicians is the fact that they believe when they have bought a certain trick or piece of apparatus, and know the method of procedure, that they are full-fledged mystifiers.
Only one man ever betrayed my confidence, and that only in a minor matter.
It is still an open question, however, as to what extent exposure really injures a performer.
Look at this life - all mystery and magic.
Pickpockets either work alone or in pairs, or what is called a mob.
My professional life has been a constant record of disillusion...