Magician Harry Houdini was born Erik Weisz on March 24, 1874, in Budapest, Hungary, though he often claimed to have been born in Wisconsin. His father was Rabbi Mayer Weiss, and he had six siblings. He began his career as a magician, and eventually became a stuntman and escapologist.
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Houdini and My Husband
An article by the woman who was married to the physician who tended to Houdini as he was dying.
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Houdini Tribute
Details the life and magic of the great Houdini, as well as his exposition of spiritualism, and a quiz about him.
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House of Deception: Houdini's Handwriting
Presents an article which imparts information about Houdini's handwriting and signature and what they revealed about his character and personality.
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The Life and Death of Harry Houdini
In honor of the 80th anniversary of the death of the magician, NPR published this article and made available the radio show where biographer Kenneth Silverman described Houdini's last days as well as an audio recording of an attempt to contact the dead magician by séance in 1978.
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NPR: Exposing Houdini
A companion piece to the June 2, 2004 broadcast of "All Things Considered" contains an overview of his life and craft, and an explanation of his signature act, "Metamorphosis".
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One Final Trick for Houdini: Exhumation
MSNBC report on the run-up to the exhumation to ascertain once and for all whether he actually died as a result of being poisoned.
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Timeline of Houdini's Life
Displays a detailed timeline from 1874 through his death Halloween night 1926.