Harry Houdini

Born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1874, Erich Weisz would later be known as the famous magician Harry Houdini. Houdini was one of seven children. His family moved from Hungary to the United States, and when he was thirteen, he moved with his father to New York to help find a place for the family to live and to begin working.

By 1894, Houdini was beginning to perform his magic for small audiences; however, most were only interested in his escape tricks, such as freeing himself of shackles or from locked prisons. By 1899, Houdini was traveling and living with a vaudeville act that performed around the country.

Houdini’s most famous escape trick was the Chinese Water Torture Cell. For this trick, Houdini was suspended by his feet and then lowered into a locked glass cabinet that was filled with water. His body was upside down in the tank. He had to hold his breath for over three minutes to escape from the water-filled prison. Houdini continued to perform until his death in 1926 at the age of fifty-two.

After Houdini’s death, his brother was given Houdini’s collection of props. Eventually, his brother sold the items and after several different sales, many of his most important pieces—including the Chinese Water Torture Cell—became the property of another well-known magician, David Copperfield.