When did Houdini die?

On Halloween, October 31, 1926, in Detroit. He was 52.

He died of peritonitis at Detroit's Grace Hospital at 1:26 in the afternoon, one week after his last show.

What was Houdini's real name?

Erik Weisz. He was born in Budapest on March 24, 1874.

Was Houdini called the King of Cards?

Yes. Before handcuffs made him famous, his posters called him the King of Cards.

Who invented the card trick on this page?

It stands on the Princess Card Trick, which Henry Hardin first sold to magicians in 1903.

AI Houdini reads your mind

Houdini's Last Trick

By The Wizard

Houdini has RISEN FROM THE BEYOND, 100 years later, with the power of AI!

One hundred years ago, on Halloween, the great Houdini died.

But now...

Don't believe it? See for yourself!

Try it

Back from beyond

AI Houdini

Pick one of these six cards in your head. Don't touch it. Don't say it.

Houdini, 100 years later

Harry Houdini died on Halloween, October 31, 1926. This Halloween, he has been gone 100 years. Here is his story, in pictures.

A kid from Budapest

He was born Erik Weisz in Budapest on March 24, 1874. His family sailed to America in 1878 and settled in Appleton, Wisconsin. When he became a magician, he took a new name after the French magician Robert-Houdin.

Sources: Wikipedia

The King of Cards

A red and blue poster: Harry Houdini, King of Cards, with his portrait and a fan of cards in his hand. — Harry Houdini, King of Cards. Poster, Chicago, about 1895. Library of Congress. No known restrictions on publication.

He did not start as an escape artist. He started with a deck of cards. He worked dime museums and sideshows, and once even played "The Wild Man" at a circus. On his posters, he was the King of Cards.

In 1894 he married Bess, a fellow performer. She worked on stage with him for the rest of his life.

Sources: Wikipedia, Library of Congress

The Handcuff King

Houdini in a dark suit and bow tie, leaning on a chair, about 1913. — Harry Handcuff Houdini. Photo by Campbell-Gray, about 1913. Library of Congress. No known restrictions on publication.

In 1899 a theater boss named Martin Beck saw his handcuff act in St. Paul, Minnesota. Beck told him to stick to escapes, and booked him across the country. In 1900 Houdini went to London and got out of handcuffs at Scotland Yard.

On March 17, 1904, a London newspaper, the Daily Mirror, brought a special pair of cuffs to the Hippodrome theater. It was reported that 4,000 people came to watch. When the cuffs kept him from taking off his coat, he held a penknife in his teeth and cut the coat off. After an hour and ten minutes, he walked out free.

Sources: Wikipedia

Into the milk can

Three policemen stand around a giant milk can. Houdini's head pokes out of the top. — Houdini in the milk can, 1908. Library of Congress. No known restrictions on publication.

In 1908 he had himself locked inside a giant milk can full of water. He first did it in St. Louis. That same year he took it across the United States, England and Germany.

Sources: Library of Congress

Upside down

Then he turned it upside down. He first showed the Water Torture Cell in Berlin on September 21, 1912. He hung by his feet, locked in a tank full of water, and held his breath for more than three minutes.

One of his own posters called it "A FEAT WHICH BORDERS ON THE SUPERNATURAL."

Sources: Wikipedia, Library of Congress

Halloween, 1926

In October 1926 he was very sick, with a high fever. He played his last show anyway, at the Garrick Theater in Detroit, on October 24. A week later, on Halloween, he died at Detroit's Grace Hospital, at 1:26 in the afternoon. He was 52.

He went home to New York in the bronze casket he had built for his next big escape. More than 2,000 people came to his funeral.

Sources: Wikipedia, Archives of Michigan

Rosabelle, believe

Before he died, Harry and Bess agreed on a secret code. If he could reach her from the other side, he would send it: "Rosabelle, believe." Rosabelle was the song Bess sang in her act when they met. The word was written inside her wedding ring.

Every Halloween for ten years, Bess held a séance for him. The last one was on Halloween, 1936, on the roof of the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood. Then she put out the candle that had burned by his photo for ten years.

Sources: Wikipedia, Wikipedia (Bess Houdini)

Houdini spent his life getting out of things. One hundred years on, he is still getting out.

How we did it

We read Houdini's story in the Library of Congress, the home of the McManus-Young Collection of magic, and in the sources below. Each part of the story links to where we found it.

The pictures are from the Library of Congress. Each one is marked "No known restrictions on publication," or public domain, and each one links to its page. Houdini's head in the trick is cut from a 1906 photo in the same collection.

Questions

When did Houdini die?: On Halloween, October 31, 1926, in Detroit. He was 52.
How did Houdini die?: He died of peritonitis at Detroit's Grace Hospital at 1:26 in the afternoon, one week after his last show.
What was Houdini's real name?: Erik Weisz. He was born in Budapest on March 24, 1874.
Was Houdini called the King of Cards?: Yes. Before handcuffs made him famous, his posters called him the King of Cards.
What was Houdini's secret code?: Rosabelle, believe. Rosabelle was the song Bess sang in her act when they met.
Who invented the card trick on this page?: It stands on the Princess Card Trick, which Henry Hardin first sold to magicians in 1903.

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