Feauturing Magic and Magicians from around the World

Harry Houdini's (Greatest!) Magic Tricks and Escapes

SEE ALSO: HOW Did Houdini Die?
SEE ALSO: Best Magicians Ever

ALSO: HOW Houdini Died
ALSO: Best Magicians Ever

Houdini tied in chains

Houdini of course is one of the greatest names in magic history and although he died almost 100 years ago, he is still an idol of fascination. For this article, we want to give you a magic historian's perspective of Harry Houdini and his best tricks and escapes. So we asked a friend, author, and Ph.D. to share his perspective. Will's UCSD dissertation is on the impact of new technologies on magic during the Belle Epoque in France and is a specialist in magic and theater history. Read on...

Houdini's Greatest Magic Tricks

by Dr. Will Given
University of California, San Diego

Even though he passed away on Halloween in 1926 from peritonitis, Houdini is still to this day one of the most popular names in magic. If you ask most people who Houdini was, they will most likely say that he was a "magician" or an "escape artist," but have you ever wondered what some of the actual tricks were that Houdini used to perform? Let's jump in our time machines and head back almost a century ago to discover what the most famous tricks were that Houdini was dazzling audiences with in the first quarter of the twentieth century.

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We hope you enjoyed visiting a corner of the fascinating career of Harry Houdini and his art. For all you Houdini lovers loving to geek out even further, visit Houdini's Movies, How Did Houdini Die?, Greatest Magicians of all Time, and the Greatest Magic Tricks Ever for more great Houdini history.