Harry Houdini

Harry Houdini

Harry Houdini, famous magician, once said “Only one man ever betrayed my confidence, and that only in a minor matter.”

You would never guess Harry Houdini’s early life. He was born in 1874 in Budapest, Hungary, although he claimed all his life that he was born in Appleton, Wisconsin. His father was a scholar who made just enough money to keep Harry’s mother, Harry’s brother, himself, and Harry alive. Harry had no education, but he went to a magic show when he was four, interesting him in magic. He had many problems as a child. His father died when Houdini was five. Another problem is he started doing magic with his brother but he died at the height of Harry’s career. As you can see, you would not think someone with a childhood like this would become a great magician.

Harry Houdini made only three major accomplishments but they were huge! He invented hundreds of magic tricks. The most famous was “Metamorphosis”, an act where he and his wife, who was locked in a trunk, switched places in three seconds. He could escape from anything from a straitjacket to a huge, locked, milk jug. His final accomplishment is he is now recognized as one of the greatest magicians of all time.

Houdini had a lot of tricks, but the three most famous were actually very simple. His first was titled “The Man Through the Wall." It was done by a hole under the wall, which Houdini slipped through. The second was “The Huge Handcuffs.” You can guess what this is about. He escaped by means of a long rod up his sleeve. For “Metamorphosis,” it’s a secret.

Houdini had three important traits. The 1st one was perseverance. He never gave up any of his tricks, even if they did not work out right. His 2nd trait was bravery. He did over one hundred possibly fatal tricks. His third trait was confidence. He felt he could perform any trick.

Harry Houdini taught everyone who watched him an important lesson, “Try, if it is possible; try, if it is not.